


Human Contact - Complete

by Jacqualine



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Platonic Cuddling, Shirbert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:26:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacqualine/pseuds/Jacqualine
Summary: Gilbert is anxious and lonely, and just needs some human contact.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 207
Kudos: 265





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all!! I hope you like this one. The idea came to me a couple of months ago and I have been itching to get to it. It will be pretty tame to start, but you know me, I can't keep it smut free forever.

It seemed like a bizarre idea to Gilbert, or at least it had when Moody had first told him about it, but then Ruby admitted she was doing it too. Then Tillie, Diana and Charlie were also doing it, Gilbert considered it for a moment but quickly dismissed the idea. He had strong coping skills and he would be fine. But school got harder, Bash was worried about the farm, Dellie and money, and even though Gilbert needed to unburden himself to Bash...to anyone, he just didn't think it was fair to put his problems onto Bash's shoulders, or anyone else's. He just felt so tense, and lonely, craving something...he wasn't even sure what it was, that he found himself booking an appointment with Teddy over text, sent them, the non-refundable payment through paypal, and then second guessed his decision for the next three days.

If he were going in completely blind he would have driven right by the building and forgotten all about it, but several of his friends had been to see Teddy more than once, and raved about it, it was safe and nothing weird had happened. It was a slightly rundown apartment building, a low rise that had only three floors, each floor looked to have about six apartments. He trudged up the stairs, hearing people talking through the thin walls, a woman yelling at her kids to stop fighting, someone was watching CNN, very loudly. The combined scents of different foods cooking made his already nervous stomach, tumble. 

At apartment 3E he took a steadying breath and raised his hand and knocked firmly on the door. After a moment a woman answered, she was shorter than him, but not actually short, averaged height, she was slim, had long chocolate brown hair and dark brown eyes. 

"Gilbert?" She asked with a slight french accent.

"Teddy?" He asked nodding. 

"Yes please come in." She smiled and stepped to the side, allowing him in.

The room looked like any other living room, there was artwork on the walls, a couch, loveseat and a pair of chairs, on the coffee table were some papers and several candles were burning around the room. The curtains were closed, there was no TV but there was music playing, a gentle chiming music he immediately associated with meditation for some reason, even though he had never meditated in his life. 

"I know the idea of this can be unsettling. But let me assure you. I am here for you. This is entirely to help you, if something feels wrong or uncomfortable, do not hesitate to tell me. I can't do my job if you hold back."

He let out a nervous breath, unaware he had even been holding it. "Do I look that scared?"

"Terrified." She laughed gently. "But everyone is. And it is completely understandable. It is not often we allow ourselves to be this open and vulnerable with a stranger."

"Yeah, that's what's freaking me out I guess."

"It's fine, let's have a seat, I'll go over the paperwork and if you feel comfortable we can begin." She gestured to the couch.

"And if I don't?" He asked her, following her other to the sofa.

"Then we go even slower." She smiled, and something about her eyes and face seemed sincere, trustworthy. "Can I take your jacket?" He nodded and shrugged out of it, she put it on one of the chairs nearby and then sat on the couch. He sat beside her and nervously rubbed his palms on his pants. He was wearing a pair of grey jogging pants and a t shirt, she had told him to dress comfortably. 

She went over the paperwork, asked him some questions, about school and his personal life. "I normally would ask you about any past convictions but when you said you knew Moody, I called him and he assured me you are trustworthy." She said as he was signing the release forms.

"I've known Moody since we were little kids."

"Yes he told me. He was my first customer, and has gotten me so many clients, I know I can trust his opinion of you." She smiled at him. "Now just to confirm. There will be no sex. No sexual touching."

He let out another nervous breath. "Will you be mad that a good part of me was sure this was some sort of prostitution scam?" He asked her and she laughed out loud at that.

"You are not the first one to wonder. But I assure you, there will be no sex, or sexual activities."

"Good. I mean I'm not really looking for that right now...or ever with you. I mean, you are pretty but I just don't think that I could..."

"It's fine Gilbert. I understand." She smiled again in amusement and put a reassuring hand over his. "Now depending on the positions we are in, it wouldn't be unusual for your body to respond to mine. Again, please don't be embarrassed, as long as we remember the boundaries we have set, we will be fine. Just one reminder, I am a Green belt P3 level in Krav Maga. I will fuck you up if you try anything." She said it was a pleasant smile on her face, but the look in her eye said 'do not test me'. He didn't plan on it.

"So do we do it here?" He asked looking around the room.

"We can, or we can go into the bedroom." She offered.

"Uhmmm." He looked toward the hallway, where the bedroom must be, and felt his heart begin to race.

"It's okay Gilbert. We can stay right here." She picked up a remote control, pressed a button and the lights dimmed, the flickering of the candles, providing all the light in the room. She sat herself in the corner of the couch and motioned with her hands for him to come closer. He slid over and she reached out and gently rubbed a hand over his shoulders. "You are so tense. From more than this."

"School is harder than I thought it would be."

"Pre-med must be extremely demanding." She said.

"Oh yeah...it is. But I can deal with that. It's just...I don't want to let anyone down." He admitted to her, he had never said that to anyone. Not Bash, not Moody or Charlie, not even to Anne. The hand rubbing his shoulder, moved to pull him in closer, encouraging him to lean against her, so he rested his head on her shoulder. Her hair tickled his cheek, and she smelled like fabric softener. Her hand on his back, continued to move in slow, circles, he felt his body beginning to relax, as though she were drawing his anxiety out in those soothing caresses. When one of her arms came up to embrace him, and the other moved to his head where she trailed soft strokes through his hair, he didn't even question closing his eyes and relaxing into her more. 

"You can put your legs up if you'd like." She said softly, he kept his eyes closed but nodded. He kicked off his shoes and put his legs up on the couch, turning a bit, she turned slightly too and he ended up laying back against her chest, her arm around him and the other carding through the hair at his temple. 

He couldn't remember the last time he was embraced like this, years...when he was still a small boy. It felt nice. He thought he might like to fall asleep there, cocooned in Teddy's arms. 

He felt like he was floating down the stairs as he left Teddy's. He felt like a huge weight was off his shoulders, he was still worried about all the things he had been before, but just that hour of human touch, had done wonders for him, he felt more clear headed, like he could focus on his studies and less on his anxiety. 

When he pulled up in front of his house, he grabbed his phone and sent Teddy a message, asking if the same day and time the next week would work for her, then he headed inside. He was stirring a pot of spaghetti when he started laughing to himself, at the absurdity of it all. He had visited a professional cuddler. He had paid someone to hold him and rub his head. 

He had loved it and was looking forward to seeing her again.

Anne closed the door after saying goodbye to her last client of the day. Walking past the bedroom to her dressing room, inside, she walked to a row of mannequin heads all holding up different wigs of various styles and colours, she took the long blonde wig off and put it on the bare mannequin head. Then she took off her clothes, grabbed them and took them out to the small apartment sized washing machine that was built into a closet, she took the load of laundry that was in the washing machine and put it in the dryer above the washing machine and threw her dirty clothes into the washing machine. She stripped the bed of the linens and put them in the wash as well, she would wash the blanket the next day. She got clean linens and made the bed, putting a clean blanket on it and then got a shower. All of her clients appeared and smelled clean, but she always changed the bed in between clients. 

After her shower she ran a small handheld vacuum over the couches and chairs, swept and mopped the floors. Then she cleaned the bathroom, and wiped down the kitchen area, even though she never used the kitchen in this apartment. When everything was in order, she made sure all the candles were out, turned off the lights and left the apartment. 

She didn't have a long drive, less than fifteen minutes, she parked her car and headed inside. The smell of garlic hung in the air, her stomach grumbled. "Smells good. I'm starving." She said to her room mate.

"I hope you're hungry, I've made spaghetti and meatballs." Gilbert said from his spot in front of the stove where he stirred his sauce. "How was your day?"

"Fine. Lots of studying." She lied. "How about you?" She wondered if he would tell her what he had been up to. He hadn't told her he had booked an appointment with Moody's Professional Cuddler.

"Same." He answered, but she couldn't miss the slight smile and pink cheeks he wore.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert goes for another session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, your reaction has blown me away. Thanks for all your kind words and support!!
> 
> This one has really got me thinking, has Gilbert ever known those gentle female touches? I know John would have held his son and showed him love. But a manly ruffling of the hair, is not the same thing, is it? I have a vivid memory of laying on my Mom's laps and her combing my hair back behind my ear, and feeling so safe and loved. 
> 
> To answer the question, they don't recognize her, that is addressed this chapter. We will all have to suspend some of our disbelief for this one to work! LOL

"Good to see you again, Gilbert." Teddy said when she answered the door the next week. 

"You too Teddy." He answered as he entered her apartment. She gestured to his jacket and he took it off and she put it on the chair again, and he kicked off his shoes, to save himself the trouble later. 

"So I take it that you enjoyed our time together?" 

"I did. I don't know, I have never really thought of myself as cuddly person I guess." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Your family wasn't affectionate?" She asked, leading him to the couch again.

"It wasn't that. It was just me and my dad, he hugged me, but it's been years since I was held. I hug my friends but I never lay down and snuggle with them, you know. I was the one doing the holding with past girlfriends...it just felt really good to be held." He didn't normally give up these kinds of thoughts and feelings to people, but Teddy said she wasn't there to judge him.

"Yes it does. As pre-med you must know about the oxytocin released when we cuddle, and how beneficial that can be to our minds and bodies." She sat on the couch in a similar position to the previous visit, one leg up on the couch, bent at the knee, her back against the arm rest. 

He nodded as she motioned for him to sit between her legs, back against her chest. "I do know about that, I don't know why I thought I didn't need it too." He answered as he got comfortable, it occurred to him for a second how he hadn't even hesitated to get so close to her this time, when last time he had been nervous and uncertain. He couldn't stop himself from letting out a sigh of content when she enveloped him in her arms and he settled back against her. 

"We all need it, and there is no reason to feel like you don't."

There was no more talking as she dimmed the lights and held him, sometimes rubbing his arm through his shirt. He closed his eyes and relaxed, forgetting about midterms, forgetting about the farm, forgetting about the argument Charlie and Moody got into and were trying to get him to choose sides, forgetting about the need to go and renew his driver's license, the shopping, the haircut he needed...he allowed his mind to stop constantly ticking and turning and just relaxed into a calm and happy memory. 

One from graduation night...the scent of the ocean filled his nose, he could hear Josie and Tillie singing a Taylor Swift song at the top of their lungs, taste the cheap vodka on his tongue, hear the sounds of the wood popping as it burned, and see the way Anne's hair glowed in the firelight. That was the night Anne asked him to be her roommate in Charlottetown while they went to University, Diana's parents had put their foot down and refused to pay for Diana's education unless she continued to live with them, not in Avonlea where they all grew up, but in one of their many properties in Charlottetown, where they had decided to relocate to keep an eye on Diana. 

So Anne found herself without a roommate, "Please say yes Gilbert." She had implored, a faint flush from the alcohol colouring her cheeks in the bright light of the full moon, in the summer sky. Gilbert could never say no to Anne, and had practically jumped at the chance to be near her everyday. He remembered the way she had beamed with happiness at him, slightly tipsy from the vodka, her eyes wide with what he assumed was surprise. Had she expected him to say no?

"This is going to be fantastic." She announced, lifting her cup up to clink against his for a "cheers". 

And it was, that little schoolboy crush had dissipated with the close proximity he had now that he lived with her, it was gone. It was now full fledge love. 

He had tried to deny it, avoid it and ignore it. But with every girl he dated or slept with, it felt more and more wrong, so he stopped dating, lived the life of a monk practicing celibacy. Every moment with her felt natural and right, the evenings she wasn't there, eating dinner or hanging out and studying, those moments felt wrong...alien. The evenings she was out on a date were the worst, he had to plaster a dumb smile on his face and tell her to have a good time, while she was dressed up for someone else. Someone else would be granted the heady effect of her smiles, would taste her lips, he worshipped her when she wore stained sweatpants and had zit cream on her chin, and he was doomed to practice that worship from an agonizingly close distance.

"Gilbert, when we live together will you protect me from beetles?" She wasn't afraid of spiders, or millipedes, beetles were her weakness.

"Always Anne-girl." He vowed. She nudged him with her elbow.

"My hero." She giggled as she took another sip from her red plastic cup. She stared up at the moon and he stared down at her, wishing that he could kiss her, hoping one day he would.

In the dark apartment laying against Teddy's chest, he smiled to himself and imagined it was Anne holding him now.

Anne didn't like for her clients to think she was in a hurry to end their sessions, so she never kept a clock in the apartment, at least not where the clients might see it. She had set up her playlist to let her know exactly how much time had past. So when she heard the intro to a specific song, she knew there was just five minutes left with Gilbert. Her arms tightened on him reflexively, and she rested her cheek on the top of his head, not wanting for it to end. Seven times in their strange but wonderful friendship had they shared a hug, none of them like this. 

The first time was at his father's funeral, it had been an awkward and emotional embrace, Gilbert had been quiet and resolute, sitting at the front of the church, with Sebastian beside him, he had shown no emotion, not a tear had slipped from his eyes. Anne was used to watching Gilbert at this point, had studied him out of the corner of her eye, she knew how to read his body language. His hands were balled into tight fists, knuckles white with the intensity, his jaw clenching and unclenching, his adam's apple bobbing up and down and he swallowed those emotions. The only hint of a crack in the tough exterior was when the lid to to casket was closed, Gilbert had looked away and wiped his eyes, Bash raising his hand and patting his little brother's back, Gilbert had nodded, took a breath, squared his shoulders and returned his eyes to the glossy bronze casket, his face once again hardened.

Only a few people attending the internment at the small family cemetery on land of the Blythe family orchard. Anne had stood with Marilla and Matthew, looking at the back of Gilbert's head and shoulders. He looked so small in his suit, despite being already nearly six foot and broad, farm work and sports filling out his 15 year old body already. 

When everyone had left, she had moved to him, had looked into his eyes, filled with sorrow, pain and fear, and had pulled him into her arms. He had clung to her then and finally letting the tears escape, had cried into her shoulder and trembled in her arms. She wanted to tell him she loved him that day, had loved him since he had stood up to Billy Andrews on her first day of school in grade seven, but it wasn't the right time..it was never the right time.

Now he was her client. Professional Cuddler had never been a dream goal for her. One night she was watching a video about it on Youtube. It seemed insane to her, imagine cuddling or hugging someone you didn't know. Laying in a bed and spooning them, holding their head in your lap and running your hand through a stranger's hair? It seemed ridiculous and dangerous to her. She couldn't stop herself from researching it though. Society was increasingly becoming cut off from family and friends, whether it was employment, education or just the inability to form connections with people, people were lonely, even she felt lonely and her family was just a thirty minute drive from Charlottetown. Reading the personal stories of the cuddlers and the cuddlees, made her think about the few times in her life she herself had been held and made to feel safe like that...only twice, in the arms of Gilbert Blythe. Sure she had snuggled with Roy after sex, and it felt nice but it never felt right, not like those fleeting moments with Gilbert.

She hadn't been able to find a part time job, and she felt guilty for relying on Matthew and Marilla for all her expenses, rent was cheap, but there was groceries, heating, electricity, water, internet, phone, gas for her car, insurance for her car and any other thing that seemed to pop up. Once she saw how much a professional cuddler charged for an hour she was decided. She didn't tell her friends because she knew they would think it was crazy and try and talk her out of it. She managed to squirrel away some money, scrimping on her groceries, gas and extras, she made several hundred dollars by attending some market research seminars where she had to taste beer, cereal and a vegan mayonnaise, but that was enough for her to sublet the apartment from a teacher she knew that was going to Japan for a year on an exchange program. 

Anne used the spare room to keep her clothes, wig and makeup in. She only had one wig at the beginning, a blonde one, she used makeup tips she learned on Youtube to change the shape of her nose and jaw, covered her freckles and used contacts to change her eye colour. She only went that far because the first person to actually answer her ad was Moody MacPherson, someone she had known since grade seven, she'd left the newspaper open to the classified section in the back, had hoped that Moody would see it and respond. He was always talking about how lonely he was. He had been raised in a very conservative family and didn't believe in premarital sex, but he was often heard to be complaining about needing something, he just didn't know what. She considered a mask, but thought that would make her seem like a dominatrix, and she needed to emphasize that there was nothing sexual about these sessions. 

Moody hadn't recognized her, still didn't, neither had Ruby, Tillie, Charlie or Diana...her best friend. She figured she was better at makeup than she had realized or perhaps they just didn't see her because they weren't expecting her to be standing in front of them with black hair and green eyes, or blonde hair and blue eyes, brown hair and brown eyes. 

The final song was near it's end, she relaxed her arms and shifted. "Our time is finished now Gilbert." She said softly, remembering to use her fake french accent. She used a Russian one with the black hair, British with the blonde, She used an Australian one with the pink wig, Italian with brown and blonde one, but she always used the name Teddy.

"Already?" He asked, sitting up and moving away from her.

"Yes. Do you want to book again now? Or let me know?" She asked him.

"Yeah, same time and day?" He asked, slipping on his shoes and tying them up.

"That works for me." She felt her heart flutter, she would get to hold him again. She led him to the door, and locked it once he was gone and set about getting ready for her next appointment, changing her wig and contacts, vacuuming the sofa and sweeping the floor, all the while unable to stop thinking about Gilbert Blythe.

It was nothing new.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Josie asked Gilbert a couple of days later, while their group was at Saturday brunch. "Did you get laid?"

"I thought you were a monk." Charlie said to Gilbert while stuffing avocado toast into his mouth.

"I did not get laid, not that it is your business." He answered, stirring his coffee. Anne noticed he didn't say what had him in a good mood.

"So what is it then? Tell us!" Tillie demanded.

"Maybe he's going to get laid." Charlie guessed.

"No." Gilbert shook his head.

"No to not telling or no to getting laid?" Jane tried to clear his answer up.

"Fine I'll tell you." He gave up. Anne lifted her cup of coffee to hid her smile. "I've had a couple of appointments with Teddy."

"No way!" Ruby clapped and smiled.

"Isn't she the best?" Tillie asked him.

"The hug hooker?" Jane asked.

"She's not a hooker." Diana and Gilbert said at the same time.

"You pay to hug her."

"There's nothing sexual or dirty about it."

"So you're paying for the girlfriend experience without the sex." Josie laughed.

"It's not about that. Teddy understands that sometimes we need human contact to help us relieve tension and stress." Diana countered.

"So get a vibrater like a normal person. Who hugs a stranger?" Jane asked.

"It's not about orgasm. It's about oxytocin, and touch...it is scientific." Gilbert told them.

"Well hug me and I will only charge you half what she is." Jane joked.

"Oh leave them alone." Anne cut off Jane and Josie's teasing. "If that's what makes them feel better who are we to judge?"

"Thank you Anne." Gilbert said to her.

"So where did you do it? In the bed?" Tillie began to ask. "The bed is so comfortable, I like then Teddy is the big spoon and I am the little spoon. It reminds me of when my Nana visited and would share the bed with me."

"I usually just get her to brush my hair." Ruby told them, sometimes she hugs me but I like having her brush my hair, like my mom used to before I was "old" enough to do it myself.

"I like when she rubs my head." Gilbert told them. "I don't remember anyone ever doing it, not in that way."

"When she uses her nails to gently scratch?" Moody asked and Gilbert nodded. "Yeah that's great."

"What about you Diana?" Josie asked, curious about it all now.

"It depends, sometimes I just sit beside her with her arm around my shoulders, my head on her arm. Other times we hug or spoon in the bed."

They talked some more about their experiences, while they finished brunch. 

When Anne got back to her and Gilbert's place, she went to her room and got "Teddy's" phone out of the safe she kept it in when it was in the house, she saw a message from Jane, requesting an appointment.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More cuddling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am glad you guys are enjoying this! I was worried you guys would think it was too out there. Thanks for reading, kudoing and commenting!

"Everything alright Gilbert?" Anne asked as he entered Teddy's apartment for their next session. She already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I'm alright, wrenched my back the other day playing some hockey." Gilbert told her.

Hockey had been Gilbert and Moody out front on the driveway, a cold snap came in the middle of a rainy night and left the streets slick with ice. Moody came by, with the great idea for them to play some hockey out front. No helmets, no padding, not even a puck, just them in their sneakers, a ball and their sticks. Gilbert fell pretty hard and had strained his back.

"Oh no, we could have rescheduled." She offered. 

"It's alright. It barely hurts." He lied, she knew he had been taking pain killers and rubbing in creams to help.

"Why don't we do this session in the bedroom, you can find a comfortable spot on the bed and I can get a hot water bottle."

"That sounds good." He agreed. She helped him out of his jacket and he removed his shoes and followed her to the bedroom.

"It's not what I imagined." He stated, looking at the simple bedroom, there was a dresser and a mirror, neither that were ever used, two side tables with lamps, the blinds were closed and the bed was a queen size with a few pillows. 

"What did you expect?" She wondered.

"I don't know, more pillows, and yellow..." He shook his head and she felt her heart stop for a moment. Her bedroom in their shared house was yellow, with lots and lots of pillows. Did he recognize her?

"I read once that blue was a calming colour. I thought my clientele could use the extra soothing." She told him, trying to keep her face neutral. 

"i've heard that too. I like it, don't get me wrong."

"You get on or in the bed, whichever you prefer, I will fetch the hot water bottle." She went into the washroom across the hall from the bedroom and found the bottle, filled it with hot water and then returned to find him sitting on the edge. He gave her a wry grin.

"I didn't want to get too comfortable and then have to move for the water bottle or you." He explained.

"Alright, let me light some candles." She quickly lit the few around the bedroom, turned off the lights and turned on the gentle music she always used. "Do you want me to hold you like I usually do?"

"I'd like that." He nodded. She arranged the pillows to support her back and then helped him lean back against her chest, tucking the hot water bottle under his back, his contented sigh let her know he was comfortable. She held back her own sigh.

"So other than your back, how are you doing?" She asked him, her hand already finding it's way to his hair.

"Pretty good. I feel less anxious, I'm sleeping better, my focus is a lot better." He said. It tugged at Anne's heart a bit, because she didn't know any of this. She lived with him, they told each other so much, but he hadn't told her this. She wasn't surprised, Gilbert Blythe was the strong silent type, the kind of man that felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, even if it was a self imposed weight. It wasn't like he was suffering from toxic masculinity, he was a stereotypical man that sometimes emitted alpha male attributes. Only a few people knew when he was feeling sad or angry, because he had a tight control on his emotions and didn't share them with a lot of people, Anne knew that you couldn't confuse that with a lack or inability to share those feelings though. Before moving to Charlottetown, she knew he shared more with Bash, she remembered from their first appointment, where he said he didn't want to let anyone down, from what Gilbert said, Bash was struggling a bit with the farm, and Gilbert didn't want to add to his worries. She decided to ask Matthew to visit Bash and check in on him. She also decided to try and let Gilbert know that she was there for him in their real life, he could tell her anything.

"Teddy?"

"Yes?"

"My back is hurting, is it alright if I roll over?"

"Of course, do you need help?" She asked him.

"No I can do it." With a soft grunt he rolled over so he was facing her, she adjusted herself so she was laying down more, still kept her arms around him, his head resting on her chest. "Can I put my arm around you?"

"Yes." She told him and he wrapped his arm around her waist, she stared down at his face, his eyes were closed and his face relaxed. She didn't often see him like this, certainly never at this angle, she was used to his face frowning with concentration, or lit up, dimples flashing as he laughed. She had been held by other clients like this but none of them had ever made her want to snuggle in, bury her face in their neck and explore with her hands. The few friendly hugs they had shared over the years had given her glimpses of how muscular his back and shoulders were becoming. Living with him had torturously shown her how defined his stomach and chest were, Gilbert liked to sleep without a shirt on and he often came down to breakfast without one on. Even the act of lifting a cup of coffee to his lips was enough to get the familiar stirrings between her legs. Sometimes when he was doing the most mundane task, changing the lightbulb in the kitchen, tying his shoes, she would have to look away, just to control her physical reaction to him. And the way he smelled, she always enjoyed sitting on the couch next to him, or stealing one of his hoodies or t shirts, because she could just breathe in his smell, cuddling him each week gave her an hour of that heady scent. 

She wanted him, had for a while, pretended that it was just a crush, or loneliness, or just being in his proximity...but it was him, these cuddle sessions were just making it more and more evident to her. She continued to rub his head, as she felt his body twitch slightly as he fell asleep, wishing she could drop a kiss on the top of his head.

Gilbert woke in a darkened room and it took him a few moments to remember he was at Teddy's, he must have fallen asleep. He hoped he didn't cause any disruptions to her appointments. He sat up, the ache in his back considerably less than it had been earlier in the day. He was about to go out and find her, when he froze, what if she had a client out there? He peeked out the doorway and saw all the lights were on in the living room, and he could hear the sound of a vacuum running. She was vacuuming the couch with a handheld machine, facing slightly away from the hallway he stood in. He stayed still, not wanting to startle her, waiting for her to notice him, when she did a bright smile lit up her face. 

"Sleep well?" She asked, shutting the vacuum off. 

"Yeah...sorry about that. Did I mess up your schedule?"

"Not at all, my usual client has parent teacher interviews today, so she's coming on a different day. You were the last, so I decided to let you sleep while I tidied up. I hope you didn't have any plans." She said, he did have plans for dinner with Anne, but a quick check on his phone to see the time, told him he had more than enough time to get home and start cooking.

"Not really, just going home to make dinner with my roommate. I usually start and then she comes home and helps. Her help is her stealing pieces of whatever I'm chopping or frying." He joked and she laughed. 

"So, same time next week?" she said as she walked him to the door.

"Yes, I'll see you then." He started to leave.

"Gilbert?" 

"Yeah?"

"You know, I've met Moody and a few of your friends, they're good people, you can talk to them. You don't have to always be the strong one."

"Yeah they are...thanks." 

He kept hearing her words reverberating in his head as he slowly made his way down the stairs and got in his car and drove home. His friends knew his opinions and beliefs, things that made him happy and angry, but he never told them about the knot in his chest that he still felt when his dad told him, his cancer couldn't be cured. Still felt the lump in his throat when he thought of his father's last words to him. Not even Anne, who probably knew him better than anyone. He knew that she dealt with abandonment issues, always wondering if there was something about her that made her parents leave her on the doorstep of the firestation all those years ago. On top of that, he knew the end of summer made her cry, but the start of October made her cry with joy, she was an open book and revealed every emotion on her face. He loved that about her. He loved her.

The fajitas where just about finished, the salad in a bowl on the table, tortillas warming in the oven when she got home. 

"Hey! I saw my blue jay again." She announced excitedly.

"You don't know it's the same blue Jay Anne."

"It is, I know it. It always sits on the same branch and squawks when I get out of the car. It knows me. Blue jays are very smart."

"So you keep telling me." He smiled at her, she looked so pretty, her hair was in a messy knot on the top of her hair, loose tendrils framed her face. " How was your day?" 

She frowned and shrugged one shoulder. "Pretty shit. Two of the people I have to do the group project with keep flopping on the rest of us. They are either going to screw us over or get an amazing grade because the rest of us are busting are asses." The way the corners of her lips turned down made him want to make her smile, he hated when she was sad or hurt.

"Come here." He said and pulled her against him for a hug. "It's going to be alright." She stiffened for a second and then allowed herself to be embraced by him. It made him sad that she had been so surprised by his affection. He had been withholding himself without even knowing it. Friends should be able to hug, comfort and love each other without thinking about it first.

"Your hug hooker is starting to affect your real life." She said, but he could hear a smile in her voice, he held her for longer than a hug normally would last but decided to start hugging her more often, everyone else too.

"She's a good influence on me." He said as he broke the hug. "You could use some cuddling. You should call her."

"Really? Where would I get the money to pay for that?"

"Okay then, I'll hug you for free anytime." He promised her, feeling his heart melt at her smile.

"Don't think I won't take you up on it." 

"I hope you do." And then they were just staring at each other, only a few inches in between them. He couldn't miss the slight inhalation she took, and the way her eyes seemed to get larger, and he had to force himself to turn away and stir the fajitas. 

He had almost kissed her, and she noticed and got scared. 'Jesus Blythe, one hug and you are ready to try and kiss her? Scare her away and ruin a perfect friendship? Stop thinking with your dick.' He berated himself. God no wonder women were always complaining about men, and how they couldn't be real friends with men because in the back of their heads, they were always thinking about banging the female friend.

He did think about it. When she wore those grey tights that just hugged her ass, or those pajama shorts that showed almost all of her legs, but he didn't just want to fuck her, he loved her, he wanted it all.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get some insight into why Anne's friends need a Professional Cuddler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your support!! I love it all.

"So...uh...I can't help but ask again because this seems so surreal, but this isn't a sex thing right?"

Anne kept the smile plastered on her face and fought the urge to roll her eyes. She had told Moody four times over text, twice over phone calls and once in person, just moments before, that this was strictly non-sexual. She understood his nerves, she had them too, she trusted him, she knew he was a good guy, and truly believed he would never make an unwanted advance on her, but she would be lying if she said that deep down she wasn't a little freaked out that he would think there was going to be sex, or a handjob or something.

"I promise, what happens here in this place, will never involve any sexual contact. It says that right in the contract." She pointed to the three different spots in the contract that explicitly stated it. Moody looked at the papers and nodded his head.

"Okay, I'll sign it. " He picked up the pen and signed the places she had premarked for him, and dated the pages too. "So.....?"

"Full disclosure Moody, you are my first client. So I am nervous too, but if we both know we have trepidations then we can help each other, yes?" She asked him.

"Yes." He nodded. 

"Now, this next part is totally up to you, we can stay here on the couch, or go into the bedroom. I can fully embrace you, or we can start out slowly, just sitting, lying or even standing very closely."

"Well...I guess the bed is alright, since we are keeping our clothes on, we are right?"

"Yes Moody, we are." She stood and indicated he should follow her. After several more awkward moments, she got him on the bed, lights fully on, after he insisted, and he was the little spoon to her big spoon. 

"Moody told me all about you. At first I was kind of jealous, I mean, it just seemed really weird to me. Who cuddles perfect strangers? If I'm being honest I thought you were a sex worker. Not that I am judging sex workers, they provide a service and we really need to make things safer for them, but I really like Moody, you aren't going to tell him that are you? Do you have to keep my secrets? Like Doctor/Patient confidentiality. Oh my God, please don't tell him. I would totally die of embarrassment."

"I won't tell him." Was all Anne managed to get out before Ruby started back up. 

"Thank you! Moody was right, you are super nice. Sorry about being jealous, but I have liked Moody for like a year." This was new to Anne because Ruby had only started professing her love for Moody a few months before. "He plays the guitar and the banjo, and he is so sweet. He is learning sign language because one of the people he delivers to, oh he volunteers for Meals on Wheels, so one of the ladies on his route is hearing impaired and he is taking an actual course on sign language. And anytime you need someone to fix your toilet, or build a bookshelf, he is always there to help."

"He has revealed himself to be a fine young man." Anne agreed. She knew from personal experience what a great guy he was. She was not so secretly shipping them, calling them Roody when neither was about. 

"He really is."

"So...enough about Moody, how can I help you?"

Ruby talked for another ten minutes until Anne laid a pillow on her lap and suggested Ruby lay her head there, then Anne gently combed her fingers through Ruby's thick hair, causing the other woman to relax and close her eyes.

"I just need to cuddle without the worry about leading a guy on. Everytime I lay down with one of the Pauls, those are the guys I'm seeing, they are both named Paul." Tille gave her naughty grin and shrugged one shoulder. "It always leads to him grabbing my butt or trying to kiss me." Tille was telling Teddy.

"And you don't want that?"

"Oh I do. But I haven't been able to choose just one, and I can't lead them on. I can't sleep with one or both of them at the same time."

"Well if you aren't committed to either, you don't own them anything." Anne said.

"That's true, but I do really like them both and I don't want to hurt or betray them like that. So when Ruby said you actually made her feel comforted, safe and warm but like in a motherly way, I knew that's what I needed."

"I would love to help you with that." Anne told her. 

They ended up laying in the bed with Tillie cradled in Anne's arms.

"I'm going to be completely honest with you Miss...Teddy. I haven't got a lot of experience with girls...women." Charlie said to Teddy at their first appointment.

"Well, I need you to understand..."

He waved his hand and cut her off. "I know, no sex. I would never pay for sex. If a woman needs to be paid then it isn't worth it. No I need to get accustomed to touching and being touched by a woman. So I don't get so excited." He looked at her pointedly, nodding his head as if she knew what he was talking about. She hoped she didn't.

"You are permitted to touch me in a non sexual manner." Anne told him.

"Perfect! That's exactly what I was hoping for. I didn't want to ask Moody if he ever touched you back, I would look like a total weirdo. So I'm just going to need you to tell me how to do that."

"Charlie, every woman is different, what I enjoy may not be what other ladies like." He looked crestfallen at that. As though he expected her to give him a step by step guide.

"Why don't we just start with a hug?" She suggested. He nodded and she stood up and he did the same. He was quite tall, so she put her arms around his waist and laid her head against his shoulder, allowing her body to fully press against his. He slowly raised his arms and put them around her shoulders, squeezing back but not too hard and rested his head on top of hers. 

"This is actually really nice." He told her after a few moments.

Diana made her the most nervous. She had almost refused the appointment but thought that would make her suspicious. She had really changed the shape of her nose and eyes with makeup and had a speech ready incase Diana instantly recognized her. Her worry was for not, because Diana showed no sign of seeing Teddy for who she really was. 

"I broke up with my ex a while ago and I have been on some dates but no one is really interesting me. So when Tille and Ruby talked about how much they enjoyed their time with you, I thought I could use some affection too."

"Of course you do." She agreed, careful to keep her accent in place.

"Mother always says I am too needy, but I don't think it's a lot to ask to hold your daughter and love her. It's bad enough they have nearly sabotaged my university experience. I knew I should have applied abroad but knowing them they would have followed me to Timbuktu to ensure their little princess behaved." Anne was well aware of the strained relationship between Diana and her parents, and as always she was a sympathetic ear. 

"I used to cuddle my sister Minnie May, but she's a teenager now and will barely give me a hug anymore, let alone let me hold her while we sleep. I understand it, I do...I just miss holding her close."

"Would you like me to be your Minnie May?" Anne offered. They ended up with Diana spooning Anne and singing to her softly in French. It was how they spent most of their appointments. 

"My brother is an asshole. He used to hide in mine or my older sister's closets, wait until the middle of the night and jump out and scare us from a deep sleep. Or hide under our beds and make them shake while talking in a demonic voice." Jane told Teddy on their first meeting. Anne didn't know any of this, Jane had didn't often talk about Billy at all, other than to say he had been kicked out of school in BC and was back home in Avonlea, living in his parents basement. 

"Children can be cruel."

"He was sixteen. He's a dick, when he wasn't scaring the shit out of us he was verbally abusive. I have a really hard time letting my guard down around people. During sex I have to be on top and I never stay afterward. I have never cuddled anyone...at least not since my sister moved away. I hug my friends sometimes but I am never really vulnerable, you know?" Anne knew exactly what she meant.

"Are you alright Gilbert?" Anne asked him. She knew this was a hard week for him, the anniversary of his father's death was approaching and he always seemed to close in on himself around that time. She couldn't blame him, she knew he still felt so sad and hurt when he thought of his dad's final days. 

"I was going to lie and say yes, but no I'm not." They were laying in the bed and he was snuggled into her chest, his new favourite way to cuddle most of the time. His arm was around her and his thumb was slowly stroking small circles on her spine. 

"I'm not a therapist but I can listen." She offered. 

"The last time I ever talked to my father was seven years ago tomorrow. He fell into a coma and died three days later." She could hear a rough edge in his voice, she pulled her head back a bit to look down at his face, he kept his eyes focused forward, on her pink turtleneck. She didn't say anything, just waited to see if he would say more, but squeezed him a little tighter to show him she was there for him. 

"You've always made me proud, son. You and your brother have been the very best things in my life, and my only regret is I won't get to see the amazing men I know you will become. Don't ever compromise your values, never settle for something, if you want it, fight for it, whether it's a job, career or love." His voice cracked then, she knew those must be the final words John Blythe spoke to his son. "I cried...I asked him...no, I begged him to keep fighting, even for just a few more days. That I wasn't ready to be a man without him." Her heart broke all over again for Gilbert and his loss. 

"Even when he was gone, in the coma, no chance to wake up, I begged him. I was terrified. Nothing was ever going to be the same, I wasn't going to be the same. Am I even the man I would have been if he had lived?" He tilted his head to finally look at her, and the pain in his eyes made her heart hurt. 

"No. That boy is long gone and a man stands in his place, would you be the same? Probably not but you are likely stronger mentally, than he would have been. You have a wider capacity for compassion than he might have had and would he want to be a doctor, if he hadn't lost his father at such an early age?" 

"I was thinking about being a teacher." He admitted and she remembered when they had joked about going to teachers college together and working at the Avonlea public school together. 

"And I think you would have been a wonderful teacher, but I know you will be an amazing doctor."

"What if I fail?" His voice sounded so small. As a boy everything came easily to him, he studied hard to get the very best marks he could, but would still have been one of the better students without the intense studying. He wasn't used to failing at anything.

"Then you will pick yourself back up and try again. Or try something else." She assured him. 

"Is it really that easy?" He wondered. "I would be so embarrassed."

"Of what?"

"Failing." His voice small again. "Of letting everyone down."

"Your future is yours alone, you can't live it for anyone else. Anyone who loves you wants you to be happy, and they will know you did your very best. You can never let down the people who love you, if you have given your all." He nodded at her words and then closed his eyes, she knew the conversation was over then.

When she pulled into the driveway, she saw his car wasn't there yet, which was unusual. She checked her phone and saw there was a text from him, telling her he would be home late, and he would eat something while he was out. She made herself some leftovers and ate at the table in front of her laptop, finishing up some assignments.

"Hey." He said to her when he got home.

"Hi. You okay?" She asked him. She could see he was still feeling sad, his eyes full of sorrow. 

"I'm fine. Going to head up to bed, I'm beat." 

"Night." She watched him leave and then bit her lip. She knew he was struggling, with everything he had revealed to Teddy. She just wished she could help him. 

She made him a cup of tea and went up and knocked gently on his door. He opened it and his eyes looked red. 

"I figured you could use this." She held up the mug.

"Thanks." He took it and started to close the door.

"Gilbert?"

"Yeah?" He stopped shutting the door. 

"Can I have a hug?" She asked him. He didn't answer, just pulled her against him and held her tightly. It reminded her so much of their first hug, that day on his father's funeral. Maybe it was the depth of sorrow in his eyes, or the way he clung to her, but she fiercely hugged him back. When he finally ended the embrace, he offered a small smile.

"Thanks Anne. Good night." Before he shut the door softly, leaving her alone in the hallway.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert's relationship is strained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long guys, but I absolutely was glued to the election news. And what a wonderful bright new day I am experiencing today. 
> 
> Thanks for all your support and love!

"We both killed it!" Anne exclaimed when she shared her midterm exam results with Gilbert, he also did better than he had anticipated.

"We did. We are so smart." He agreed laughing as they shared a high five.

"We need to celebrate." She thought out loud. They had been studying so hard that they hadn't done much else. She wanted to enjoy the little breather they had before they had to start studying again.

"What do you want to do? Order some take out?" He asked. She couldn't help the flare of disappointment she felt.

"How is that different than any other Saturday where we order take out? Let's do something fun!"

"Like what?" He asked warily. She understood he was right to be apprehensive, she had talked him into bungee jumping for fun before. 

"I don't know...a bar crawl, road trip...oh a party! Let's have a party, we can do a theme if you want. Favourite anime characters, MCU, 1920s...oh a 1920s murder mystery." Her mind started whirring as she thought of ideas. "We can get a DJ, decorate so it looks really cute, some delicious food, maybe get a couple of party platters from that Greek place, with the donairs you love...jello shots!" She was getting so excited just thinking about it.

"Anne, that seems like a lot of work and money." He reminded her that she was supposed to be jobless and broke.

"Okay we don't have to decorate or serve fancy food...but jello shots?"

"I don't know...I wouldn't mind a small get together with everyone but I'm not really feeling a big party." 

"We hang out with our friends almost every weekend, how would it be special?" She persisted.

"I need to stay focused Anne, finals are not that far away. I will go crazy when I am finished med school."

"One night isn't going to derail your plans, Gilbert." She argued.

"I don't want to. How much clearer can I possibly be?" He asked her, his voice loud, almost a shout, the sharpness in it, caused her to flinch. "I've got to go. See you in a bit."

She would not cry, she would not cry. Just because they disagreed on having a party would not make her crumble into a tearful heap. At least that's what she told herself as she stood at the counter washing dishes as the tears streaked down her face.

"How were your midterms?" Teddy asked him as she took his coat. He had revealed a few visits before that he was feeling nervous about them.

"They went pretty good." He told her, following her to the bedroom, it had become their habit to cuddle in the bed during every appointment. He liked holding her when she was doing the same to him.

"Maintenance is working on the heat, so we should probably do this under the blankets, this time." She said to him. Usually they just laid on top of the blanket, but he knew to expect professionalism from her, so he didn't hesitate to get in the bed, holding the blankets up for her to get under too. They snuggled in close to each other, working out arm and leg positions, getting comfy and then just warming up together.

"So if midterms went well why aren't you happy?" She asked him, he wondered how she knew. Could she tell by his face? They were still practically strangers, they only really had shared a handful of sentences, but he had come to realize that she seemed to have a way of drawing things out of him. He stared at her shirt, it was a blue turtleneck, she only seemed to wear turtlenecks, he noticed.

"I'm not unhappy, I just...I got into a fight with my roommate the other day."

"You aren't speaking?" Teddy asked him.

"No, we speak, still hang out but I can tell she was hurt by it." He admitted.

"Is it something you need to apologize for?" She asked , rubbing his back slowly. He was a man of science, but when he had these sessions with Teddy he would sometimes wonder if she was a psychic or an empath, one of those new age hippies that were able to read auras or "heal" you with their energy, she seemed to have a real calming effect on him, one that always gave him some clarity.

"I don't think so, at least not for how I felt, but perhaps my reaction."

"Were you unkind?"

"No, never with her, I couldn't be. I lost my temper and raised my voice. But I don't even think that is what really bothered her." He had seen the disappointment in her eyes and on her face before he had gotten angry. "It's silly really. She wanted to have a party to celebrate our midterm marks."

"And you didn't want to."

"I was an asshole, I suggested take out." He really had been inconsiderate of her excitement. Wasn't that one of the many things he loved about her? Her ability to find joy in even the most mundane things.

"She wasn't a fan of that suggestion?"

"She wasn't. I think she has noticed my anxiety, but I wasn't approachable about it. I think she was trying to help me blow off some steam." The more he thought and spoke about it, the clearer it all became, she didn't want to celebrate for just herself, she was trying to cheer him up.

"We can all use that sometimes." Teddy's hand moved to his hair and he closed his eyes at the sensation.

"I think you're right."

Anne was driving home the following Saturday, she'd only had a few clients that day, Moody and Tillie had both rescheduled for another day, so she had gone shopping for a bit. The in-vehicle computer alerted her to an incoming call from Gilbert.

"Answer." She instructed.

"Hey, how long til you get here?" He asked her, he sounded a bit breathless.

"A few minutes, is everything okay?" She asked.

"Oh yeah great. I'm just making dinner and I wanted to know if I should put the steaks on the grill." 

"Sounds good, see you in a bit."

"Okay, bye." He hung up quickly. Things between them had been less tense since he had talked to "Teddy" about their fight. He had apologized to her that night for raising his voice, but they never made plans to celebrate. She guessed the nice dinner was his way of making up for it. 

She supposed she had Teddy to thank for it, as Teddy she was getting so much insight into Gilbert's mind. Parts that had been closed off to her, she felt guilty for the betrayal, as though she were eavesdropping on a conversation in another room, but she was also slightly hurt by it all. She was his best friend, she should be the one he was coming to, but he wasn't. She tried not to dwell on it, but more and more when she laid in bed at night, driving in her car, or watching Gilbert, she could feel tendrils of pain, squeezing her heart and tugging at her stomach. It was all becoming confusing. At night she wanted nothing more than to creep down the hall to his bed and snuggle in next to him. The line of professionalism was starting to blur for her, when they were cuddling, she wondered how his skin would feel under her fingers...her lips, she imagined that his hands were dancing over her body, felt herself get aroused in his arms. 

She realised she was in the driveway and shook away those thoughts, she shut off the engine, turned off the headlights, grabbed her shopping bags and headed inside. She could hear loud music inside, she wrinkled her brows in confusion and opened the door to find Gilbert waiting on the other side. "Surprise Anne!" He shouted, sweeping her into his arms for a friendly hug.

"It's not my birthday." Was all she could manage to say.

"It's the celebration party you wanted." He exclaimed, and moved to the side so she could see that the house was packed with people. 

"We're having a party?" She asked.

"We're having a party!" He repeated enthusiastically, she noticed his cheeks were flushed, a sure sign he was already tipsy. "With jello shots." He told her, grabbing two tiny cups with red jello and a dollop of whipped cream on them, from the table they normally left their keys and mail on by the front door.

"Whipped cream?" She asked incredulously.

"With whipped cream. Cheers Anne." She took one, tapped it against his and tipped it into her mouth, smiling as the cherry flavouring filled her mouth. "Now go get ready for the party, but be fast, you are already late." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head before turning to walk toward the kitchen. She stood there opened mouth, he had never done that before, then she ran upstairs to her room to get changed.

Tight jeans and a low cut shirt were always in fashion so that's what she wore, she applied some eyeliner and mascara and some lipstick, pulled her hair out of her messy bun and shook it out, liking the wildness of it. Then she went back downstairs to join in on the fun, finding all of her friends, even Bash were there for the party. 

There wasn't a theme, but besides jello shots there was a table full of taco fixings, with chicken, ground beef and tofu in chafing dishes, to keep them warm, she gorged on tacos and drank vodka coolers, danced, hit the bong a few times, laughed and had a great time. All the while, she was thrilled to find Gilbert at her side almost constantly, his arm around her shoulder, his hand in the middle of her back, pulling her in for a hug from time to time, leaning in close to talk to her when the music was too loud to be heard. They had lived together for almost three years and they had never been so physically familiar with each other. She couldn't prevent the chills she got when she felt the warm of his hand through her shirt, or the jolt of pleasure she would get when her breasts brushed against his arm. 

"Thanks for this." She said to him at one point, when she found herself alone with him in the kitchen. They were standing face to face, with barely a breath between them, she could feel the heat of his body with her own. The way he was looking at her made her think he was going to kiss her, but that was crazy, but he was leaning closer to her her, before he suddenly pulled back. 

"No thanks necessary." He grinned down at her, his eyes glassy. "Someone suggested I need to blow off some steam."

She kept her face happy, refusing to let the smile slip, inside she was suffering a hurricane of emotions. She knew that someone wasn't her. That someone was Teddy.

"Yeah well...that someone was right." 

"She was, come on. I love this song." He put an arm around her shoulder and led her out to the living room.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy's continues to influence Anne, Gilbert and their group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stupidly forgot to "save" and had a blackout and lost a chapter. LOL
> 
> Thanks for all the love and support!!

"Dude, I'm telling you, you gotta go." Jane was saying to Josie as they sat around Anne and Gilbert's dining room table playing Cards Against Humanity. "It's like she has this calming soothing aura."

Anne snorted at Jane using a word like aura. "You could use a visit yourself Anne." Jane responded to Anne's snort. "You are always so tense."

"I can't afford her." Anne told them, waiting for everyone to play their cards. 

"She doesn't need it. I have decided that I am going to express my love and gratitude for not only Anne, but all of you, by hugging you more often. " Gilbert announced as he threw his arm around Jane's shoulder, and pulled her against him for a side hug.

"No thanks." Josie shook her head at him.

"I think it's a great idea. We should make a blanket fort and all just snuggle with each other." Tillie suggested. "Platonically." She said looking right at the Pauls, who were looking hopeful.

"I'm down." Moody agreed.

"Me too." Ruby smiled up at Moody. 

"Meeting Teddy has opened my eyes to non sexual contact and I have found I quite like it, I would be open to a group snugglefest." Diana said. 

"Me too." Gilbert said, in the end the rest agreed and they abandoned their game and laid a bunch of duvets. blankets and pillows on the ground, Charlie and Moody took up the middle spots and people began joining in, Anne found herself between Diana and Gilbert.   
The people who had been to see Teddy, were relaxed and showed no hesitancy by throwing an arm over someone beside them. Jane cradled Ruby against her and was running her hand over Ruby's hair. Anne tried to relax but she was suddenly hit with a wave of worry that if she did any of the things she naturally did, they would somehow recognize it. So she laid with her back to Gilbert, who had an arm around her waist, and she in turn spooned Diana, their arms joined together as Anne held Diana, Gilbert rubbing both of their arms. 

"Isn't this lovely?" Ruby asked after everyone had settled down and gone quiet.

"It actually is." Said Josie, between Tillie and Charlie.

"What do you think Anne?" Gilbert asked her, his mouth close to her ear. She wanted to groan with pleasure, not a sexual one, but one of complete and utter warmth and contentment. Cocooned with her friends, ones that had her back and would keep her safe, always, she felt protected.

"Ruby is right, this is lovely." She agreed. 

"We should do this once a month at least." Charlie suggested, and the others all thought it was a good idea. Soon many of them were asleep, Diana's breathing became slower and deeper as she drifted off, and Anne found her own eyes drooping and sleep calling to her. 

People started to leave as the evening grew later, Moody was driving Ruby and Josie home so they left together, giving Gilbert a wave and whispering goodbye to those who were awake. Then Charlie and the Pauls left, Tillie shook Diana's arm gently and reminded her that Diana was her ride home and she needed to get going. Diana turned to look at Gilbert still cuddling Anne.

"You going to wake her up?" She asked him. 

"In a bit, I know she was up late studying the last few nights, if she's comfortable, I don't want to disturb her." He told Diana. It wasn't a lie, he just didn't include how good it felt to hold her in his arms and feel her warmth, breathe in her scent and pretend she was his for a short time. At Diana's raised eyebrow he added. "You know, like when a cat falls asleep on you, you stay there until it wakes up."

"Sure, it's like that." She agreed but her tone told him she saw through his bullshit. Tillie shook Jane awake and the three of them left, and he was alone with Anne on the floor. 

He waited a while longer, before he lightly shook her. "Anne, it's getting late, do you want to head up to bed?" He asked her. She rolled over and looked at him.

"Let's stay here." She said to him, snuggling into him, her hands grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, eyes closing and falling back to sleep in moments. He reached over, grabbed a closeby blanket and with one hand, covered them both and closed his eyes, enjoying it while it lasted. 

He woke hours later, Anne still snuggled in his arms, his back was killing him, it wasn't too long ago that he had injured it falling on the ice, he knew he had to get up and get in his own bed. He shook her awake and told her he had to go to his bed, she nodded and got to her feet, he grabbed her pillows and handed them to her, got both of their blankets and grabbed his pillows, checked the door was locked when they passed it and led her up stairs to her bedroom, she crawled into the bed and he laid her blanket over her. "Night Anne-girl." He whispered before he put his pillows and blanket in his own room, went to the washroom, took a pill for his back, brushed his teeth and washed his face and then went to his own room and got into bed, one that felt cold and empty.

The next day at breakfast was slightly awkward for them both, Gilbert was at the counter drinking a cup of coffee when she entered the kitchen. "Morning." She said, avoiding his eyes.

"Morning." He studied her out of the corner of his eye as she got her own mug of coffee. After several moments she finally said. 

"Sorry about falling asleep on you all last night." He noticed she meant all of them, and not just him, even though she had literally slept in his arms. 

"It's fine, I fell asleep too." He didn't point out it was after everyone had already left. 

"Yeah...who knew a big group cuddle would be so good? I thought it would be awkward and uncomfortable...but it wasn't."

"No it wasn't at all." He agreed. "So what are your plans for today?" He asked her changing the topic.

"Not much, spending most of the day studying with a few people from my program. You?"

"I'm heading back to Avonlea, Bash wants to hang out."

"Sounds nice. Tell him I said hi."

"I will. I should go get ready. Have a good day Anne."

"There won't be enough to pay the taxes. The bank won't give us an extension. We may lose it." Bash's words kept echoing around in Gilbert's head. They could lose the farm. Their family's legacy...it was weeks from being taken away. He tried to focus while he was driving back to Charlottetown, but his heart was pounding and his throat felt tight. He pulled over to the side of the road and made a call.

"Hello?"

"Hey It's Gilbert. I need to see you as soon as possible. I'm freaking out."

"I'm free now for the next few hours."

"I can be there in about 45 minutes."

"Drive safe. Do not speed."

"Okay. See you soon."

He pulled back onto the road and headed for Teddy's.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert goes to Teddy in a bad state of mind.
> 
> I hate summaries!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait to read your reactions after this one. ;p
> 
> Please don't look too closely at the details, I don't know about farms, and pests and how the trade war might have hurt a farm like Gilbert and Bash's. Also, we already know everything Anne has been doing as Teddy is highly questionable. I do not recommend this sort of behaviour, it's just for the story. 
> 
> LOL Who am I kidding, if you all supported me through Hysteria, this will be alright.

When Anne opened the door to Gilbert at Teddy's apartment she had to bite back a gasp of concern, she had never seen him like this, he had a wild look in his eye, he was breathing hard, like he was struggling to get oxygen. It was clear to her he was suffering from a panic attack.

"What's happened Gilbert?" She tried to lay a calming hand on his back but he began to pace the room.

"My brother just told me that we are going to lose the farm.?" He answered, his voice high and tinged with emotion she had never seen or heard from him. 

"Is he sure?"

"He is, we had a bad year, the trade war with the U.S. was already causing money to be tight. Then we got this Apple Borer bug infestation, in the really old part of the orchard. They produced the most apples for us. We had to destroy a large part of the orchard to try and save the rest, the yield isn't going to be enough. We aren't going to have enough to pay the loan off, and the bank won't give us an extension until we pay the taxes and the next loan payment, we're going to lose the farm. The Blythes have been there for hundreds of years." He gasped his way through the whole explanation, and she could see he was unconsciously rubbing his chest over his heart. "My dad would be so disappointed in me...I can't breathe."

"Try and take slow deep breaths." She went to the kitchen and found a paper bag from some takeout she had ordered. "Here breath into this." She told him. He nodded and started to inhale and exhale into the bag, while she got him out of his heavy winter coat.

She led him to the bedroom, hoping she could manage to soothe and calm him, so he could think straight. She knew how much the farm meant to him and Bash, it wasn't just about their legacy, it was supposed to be the future for their children one day. In the bedroom he continued to pace, the bag over his face.

"Gilbert, I need to you to try and relax."

"I just need to think up a way to get the money...maybe I can sell my car, and my Dad's watch." She could see tears in his eyes and he began to rub his chest again, the paperbag forgotten while he struggled to get in a breath. She was about to go out to the living room to get her phone to call for an ambulance when she remembered something she had read while researching Professional Cuddling. It was drastic and something she had never planned on introducing to any of her clientele, but this was Gilbert and she had to help him.

"Gilbert, I need you to take off your clothes and get into the bed." She ordered him, turning out the light for the bedroom. Some light from the living room reached them, and that was enough for her to see him by the bed, still from the shock of her words, it would be dark enough to hide her freckles on her body from him.

"Do as I say Gilbert, I know this is extreme, but if you don't relax, I am going to have to call an ambulance." She told him as she started to take off her own clothes. He watched her for a moment as she got into the bed with her bra and underwear on, and then pulled his shirt off over his head. His shoes got tangled in his pants, because he forgot to remove them first, but once he sorted it out, he slipped under the blanket and hovered on the edge, as far from her as possible. She could still hear his panicked breathing. 

"Alright, come here. Skin to skin contact is used to soothe babies and children, studies have shown that it also works on adults." She pulled him to her, nestling his face between her breasts, allowing him to get comfortable while they worked out the positions for their arms and legs. Once he was settled, she began to rub his back, pushing away the thoughts of how muscular his back felt under her fingers. She could also feel his heart pounding erratically, his breathing was still filled with heaving gasps as he tried to draw in air. 

"I'm sorry Teddy, I can't relax, my mind is just racing. I can't think of a way to save the farm, and while I'm thinking of that, I just feel more and more weight on my chest." He explained, pulling back to look at her. It was dark in the room, but enough light that she could see his eyes shimmering with tears and the worry and panic on his face. 

"I know..." She whispered, feeling helpless to help him. She stroked the side of his face and then she leaned in and dropped a chaste kiss on his lips. She saw his eyes go wide when she was pulling back, but noticed his breathing was not as erratic, so she leaned in again and kissed him for real. She felt his body stiffen and he didn't kiss her back, she realized her mistake and moved to break the kiss off, when his hands tightened on her body and he angled his head and kissed her back. 

The day dreams and fantasies had not lived up to the real thing. In her imaginations, her toes had never curled as they did now, soft tendrils of desire seemed to be rolling through her body, she'd never felt the intense need tugging at her, urging her to get closer to him. No, he smashed every stupid ideal she had created in her mind and replaced it with a real tangible knowing, an understanding that kissing Gilbert Blythe was going to shatter her, and she would never be kissed like that again. She threw every doubt she had out of her mind, ignoring the voice inside of her that warned her how dangerous it was, instead she deepened the kiss and moved to straddle him.

His hands went to cup her ass, pressing her down against him, and she began to grind against his cock, which was getting harder by the second. His lips left hers and traveled down the column of her neck to her breasts, nearly spilling out of her bra, a bit of nuzzling by him had a nipple exposed for only a moment before he had it in his mouth, she felt herself getting wetter, and increased her movement above him. A gentle bite to her nipple had her gasping out in pleasure and she sunk her hand into his hair and held him in place, she was so close to falling over the edge.

"Anne." He whispered against her nipple and they both froze, she sat up, looking down at him. Had he always known it was her?

"Jesus, Teddy, I'm sorry. I don't know why I said her name." Relief flushed through her body, he didn't know it was her, but it was like vat of ice water had been thrown on her. What was she doing? Gilbert didn't deserve this, this lie, she was lying to him about her identity, about knowing his secrets and about being in love with him. 

This was wrong.

"It's okay, I should apologize, I have crossed boundaries that we both agreed on. I have been extremely unprofessional with you Gilbert. I am so sorry. My next appointment is coming soon, please let yourself out." She jumped off of him and grabbed her clothes off the floor and fled to her dressing room before he could react, locking the door behind her and leaning against it. Staring at herself in the mirror on the other side of the room.

"Teddy? We should talk about this." Came his voice through the door.

"Let's just put it behind us Gilbert. I will see you Tuesday for our usual time?" She covered her mouth with her hand to smother the sobs that were starting to escape from her. 

"Uhm...you're sure?"

"Absolutely." She lied, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"Okay then..." He trailed off. His every instinct told him it wasn't fine and that he should talk to her, but if she wanted him to leave, he should respect her wishes and leave. He could hear her saying "sorry" again and again, it had sounded like she was more than just embarrassed or angry with herself. It had sounded like she was heartbroken. Had she developed feelings for him? He hadn't meant to lead her on if that were the case. 'Sure Gilbert, you make out with her, but you didn't mean to lead her on.' He thought to himself and he went back into the bedroom to put his shirt on, then his sneakers. He went out to the living room, staring at the closed door where he knew she was, then he put on his jacket and left, making sure the door closed tightly behind him, waiting a few moments to hear her come out of the room and lock the door behind him. 

He held it together until he got to his car. Then he shouted "Fuck, fuck fuck!", while pounding the steering wheel. He really was a total fuckup. He laughed wryly when he realized he could think about what happened with Teddy, and about Bash and the farm without having a panic attack. She had helped him alright.

"Fuck." He groaned one more time before heading home. 

When he got back to the house Anne, wasn't home yet, he grabbed a bottle of beer and began making a list of things he could sell. He let himself be happy for a moment that his education money was separate from the money for the farm, John Blythe had saved money for both his boy's post secondary school education, Gilbert had won a few grants and bursaries, he had more than enough to go to school and pay for his half of the rent and utilities, then he felt selfish for being relieved by it. 

He sent Bash a text, asking if he thought they could sell some of the furniture in the attic, it was pretty old and could be considered antique. While waiting for Bash's reply, he got another beer, sent a text to Anne, asking when she was coming home, and tried to compose a text to Teddy. When he couldn't come up with anything he decided to wait til the next day, hoping the perfect text would come to him by then. What did you say to a woman you nearly had sex with, that you were sorry for calling her by another woman's name? What did it say about him that he was willing to fuck Teddy when he was in love with Anne? 

Two more bottles of beer later he got an answer from Anne, she was going to hang out with Cole and would be back late. Feeling sorry for himself he got a fifth beer and made himself a sandwich, he flipped through the TV channels before landing on an old Simpsons episode. The beer finally worked it's magic and he fell asleep in front of the TV.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert starts looking for answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you guys so much! Your support and willingness to trust in my crazy ideas and plots is too wonderful to express. Thank you all so much.
> 
> Again, we need to suspend disbelief here. LOL

He woke up the next morning to his phone ringing. He grabbed it and saw it was Bash.

"Yeah?" He answered groggily, feeling like shit from his drinking the night before.

"Tell me you didn't do anything illegal." Bash's voice was loud and piercing, it felt like a needle in his ear.

"What?" Gilbert asked him.

"You didn't steal it, right?" Bash sounded nervous.

"Steal what? I don't know what you are talking about." Gilbert felt so confused.

"I got an email this morning, from the bank, thanking me for the payment." Bash explained, and Gilbert sat up on the couch trying to process what Bash was saying.

"Bash...what payment?"

"The loan payment."

"That wasn't me."

"Who else could it have been Gilbert? If you did something illegal, we can figure it out."

"Bash stop it, I didn't do anything but come home and get drunk. I made a fucking list of things to sell. I'm telling you it wasn't me."

"Could it be a bank error?" Bash wondered.

"If it is, they will notice sooner or later, and we will be in the same situation as before." Gilbert thought out loud.

"What is going on, I just logged onto the website for our taxes and it says we paid this years taxes in full. That was over four grand." Bash told him.

"Plus the loan payment, that's just over five thousand dollars. My car is barely worth $1000..."

"What do we do now?"

"Call the bank and find out who made the payment." Gilbert instructed.

"Yeah I'll do that. I'll let you know what I find out."

He got up and went upstairs to the bathroom to get a shower, he noticed Anne's door was still closed, he hadn't even heard her come in the night before. He remembered saying her name while he was kissing Teddy' nipple, and decided he could not focus on that at this point, he figured that would keep him up for nights and nights to come. It was one of those things that he would remember in 23 years, and his stomach would still clench at the mortification, but for now he was packing it away until he had a chance to sort things out with Teddy.

When he got out of the shower he went to his room to get dressed, feeling slightly more clear headed, if not any less confused. Someone had purposely paid their taxes and loans...that was the only explanation, but who would do that? 

He found Anne pressing buttons on the coffee maker. "Rough night?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He said. Wondering how he was going to explain everything that had happened in the 24 hours since he had last seen her.

"Everything alright?" She asked looking at him, her eyebrows furrowed as she studied him. He opened his mouth to tell her everything, Bash, the farm, the mysterious payments, kissing Teddy, but then he remembered how hard she had been studying, how she was still looking for a job because she felt guilty taking money from Matthew and Marilla, Matthew's health, how could he dump his problems on her? He wouldn't add to her stress and worry.

"Yeah, everything is great." He lied, giving her a smile he hoped looked genuine.

"Well I should go get ready for the day." She told him. Moving to leave the kitchen, feeling another fresh batch of tears sticking in her throat. 

"You want to hang out later?" He asked her.

"Sorry I can't." She told him as she dashed up the stairs to her room. She felt devastated, confused and angry. She had hidden at Teddy's apartment for most of the night, not able to face him again, crying and feeling guilty for her deception, and embarrassed at the idea that she had kissed him. She'd been relieved when she got home and found him passed out on the couch, the TV still playing, empty beer bottles on the table, she'd laid a blanket over him, turned off the TV and retreated to her room, even though all she wanted to do was lay down with him on the couch, tell him everything and beg him to forgive her...beg him to love her. She'd spent the night talking to herself, managing to make herself believe that she could do it, tell him everything, declare her love for him and maybe it would work out for them.

But he'd lied to her. He actively chose not to tell her about the farm, something he had run to tell Teddy about. She was his best friend but Teddy was the one he sought out when he was at his most desperate, in emotional need. Teddy knew things Gilbert had never revealed to Anne, had she misunderstood their relationship all these years? Maybe Gilbert had never truly trusted her. 

If he didn't want Anne to know his secrets, what would he do when he found out she knew them all? She might never have his heart but she didn't want to lose the friendship they did have. She had loved him from afar for years, she could continue that way if she had to, she would do anything to protect that friendship, and protect that man. Including paying the taxes and the loan, for the farm. It hadn't been hard to log into his laptop and the websites, his password was not a secret to her, "Whitman1855" she used her savings and paid them off. Being sure to clear the history so they wouldn't know it was her. 

She finished getting ready and headed over to Teddy's apartment, she had a full day booked, and needed to get ready still.

Bash showed up at Gilbert and Anne's later that day, surprising Gilbert when he answered the door.

"Bash?" He stepped aside and let him in. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you in person." Bash answered, looking at Gilbert's face for a long time.

"What's happened now?" Gilbert wondered.

"Gilbert the bank says you made the payment."  
"How? That isn't possible. There's no way." Gilbert denied.

"Did you take something? A sleeping pill? I've heard stories about people driving while they were on those." Bash was studying him so closely, Gilbert knew he was watching for signs of deception.

"No. I had five beers and fell asleep in front of the TV. Besides I don't even have that kind of money."

"Okay, did you tell someone? Anne?"

"I didn't tell her. She doesn't have that kind of money either."

"Well I only told you, did you tell anyone else?"

"No..." he trailed off. Teddy. He had told Teddy.

"You did tell someone, who?"

"She is barely an acquaintance, there's no way she would do that." Especially after the debacle he had created, calling her the wrong name.   
"She wouldn't have access to my laptop or our accounts." He tried to explain.

"Maybe she hacked in. Who is it?"

Gilbert did not want to explain his relationship with Teddy to Bash. "She's like a massage therapist." He lied, Bash narrowed his eyes, Gilbert was a terrible liar. 

"You going to a Rub and Tug?"

"No! Bash it's not like that." He said, but he could suddenly taste Teddy's skin on his tongue, feel her hot breath against his neck.

"Then why are you blushing? You need to be straight with me now." Bash used his grown up tone, the one he used when he became the man of the house when their Dad had died. 

"I've been going to a professional cuddler." He admitted. Bash looked confused, and shook his head.

"A what?"

"She's a nice lady, she hugs you and rubs your back and it's completely platonic." He felt his face grow hot with that lie but continued. "Hugging and cuddling are good for you. There have been countless studies and..."

"I get it. One day I will roast the shit out of you for it but for now you need to ask her if she did this for you. What if she's mixed up with a criminal organization, they are going to want their money back."

"You watch too much Netflix. She isn't a criminal and she didn't do this. It has to be a bank error."

"Yeah a bank error that also logged onto our Canada Revenue account and paid our taxes."

"Let me send her a message and see what she says." He looked at his phone and started to type a message, only to delete it all and start again...several times.

"What else aren't you telling me?" Bash asked him. 

"Why do you think that?"

"You haven't sent a message yet. You are second guessing every letter." Bash pointed out.

"Well how do you ask someone if they hacked your accounts and paid off your debt?" Gilbert asked him.

"Maybe call her, then you can gauge her answers by how she sounds." He suggested and Gilbert nodded. He hovered his finger over the call button for several seconds, what was he going to say? He finally hit the call button only for it to go to voicemail after two rings. 

"Hi, it's Gilbert. Call me when you get a chance please." He was actually glad Bash was there watching him, because he was certain that he would have rambled on, throwing in several apologies and making things worse.

A minute later he got a text from Teddy. 

"Busy day, will call you later." It said.

"So now we wait and you tell me what's really going on with you and this Teddy." Bash instructed, leaning back in his seat and getting comfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anne is in her own tailspin of shame and fear, and has not even begun to contemplate why Gilbert said her name in that intimate moment.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert waits to hear from Teddy, and Anne is struggling with all her emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys overwhelm me with all your support! Thank you so much!!

Bash left after listening to Gilbert's whole story, he admitted everything, being in love with Anne, kissing Teddy, calling her Anne, and Teddy's obvious hurt and upset.

"Jesus Christ Blythe." Bash shook his head in wonder and disbelief.

"I know, this is why I can't believe it was Teddy. She wouldn't do that for me, not after..."

"Brother, I am overjoyed that you have finally recognized your feelings for Anne, but you still somehow have managed to fuck it up. You need to tell Anne you love her."

"I don't want to scare her off."

"I'm telling you Gilbert, if you reveal your feeling for her you won't lose her."

"I will, soon." He told Bash.

"Don't wait too long, she might move on without you." Bash said to him before Gilbert pulled him in for a hug goodbye.

"I'll let you know what Teddy says, drive safe."

Since he had unburdened everything in his heart and mind to Bash, and the threat of losing the farm had lessened, Gilbert decided to try and focus on studying, until he heard from Teddy. 

Several hours later, he looked up from his books and noticed that she still hasn't called or texted him. He sent her a quick text, reminding her to call him when she could, and then went back to studying. 

She didn't call him back that night. He figured she forgot and would call him in the morning. He went up to his room and fell asleep.

He didn't see Anne the next morning, he had a text from her, saying she left early for a breakfast study session with some friends, but she had left a pot of coffee ready for him. He sent her a text thanking her for the coffee and asking if she would be around for dinner. She responded that she would be later than usual if he wanted to wait for her. He told her he would, and then they decided what to have to eat that night. 

Teddy didn't call or text him. He tried calling her once but it went to voicemail, he didn't leave a message. It was obvious at this point that she was avoiding him. He called Bash up. 

"It couldn't have been her. Why would she avoid me if she did something so generous?" Gilbert asked.

"If she was the only one who knew, it had to be her." 

"What do I do, should I go to my scheduled appointment tomorrow?"

"I think you should, at least so you can apologize to her, and then maybe she will be willing to talk to you and you can ask her about the money."

"This is going to be so awkward." Gilbert groaned.

"Look at it this way, it can't be any worse than saying another woman's name in bed." Bash couldn't resist teasing Gilbert.

"You're supposed to be on my side." Gilbert whined.

"I am, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy your misery, little brother." Bash laughed. 

Finished studying, he couldn't stop thinking about Teddy, and Anne. When he had stopped dating and hooking up, it was with the intention of finally opening up to her and suggest they give it a go. He had reacted on an physical level to Teddy, he was only human and he hadn't been with anyone for a long time, she felt so soft and smelled so good, he had reacted, but in his mind and heart he had envisioned Anne. How could he really face Teddy after that? How could he ask Anne to give him a shot at winning her heart if he could do that? He was in love with her and still willing to fuck someone that was very nearly a stranger to him. What did he even know about Teddy? It occurred to him, he didn't even know her last name. What did that say about him? Was he truly in love with Anne? Was he even capable of loving someone completely?

Anne could tell that everything was weighing on Gilbert, when she got home and saw him. He smiled at her but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"How was your day?" He asked, rubbing spices into the steaks.

"It was good. How about you?"

"It was okay, classes were fine." 

They prepared the food mainly in silence, every moment that went by made Anne's heart hurt more and more. They were best friends, even when he was dating Winnie, she hadn't felt shut out like this, conversation had always been natural and easy. She couldn't stop the torrent of thoughts in her head, and couldn't make her mouth say the words she wanted to. She knew she was overthinking things, but analyzed every action or word he said. When he said he didn't need her help to set the table, she felt like he was telling her he didn't need her. She bumped into him, reaching for a serving spoon, causing him to drop the spatula he was using, he uttered the word "fuck" and she internalized it, thinking he was angry with her for more than the spatula. By the time they were sitting down at the table, she was so upset, she could barely keep her face neutral, she took a bite of food and tasted nothing, she chewed it slowly and fought to swallow it down. Trying again to make conversation. 

"How is it?" She asked as he took a bite of the sauteed vegetables she had prepared. 

"Fine." He answered distractedly, not even looking up at her. His apathy was her breaking point.

"I'm not very hungry, I'll eat this later." She said, her voice cracking with emotion as she stood up. He frowned and looked up at her. She felt like they were breaking up, going through a divorce when there was no actual relationship.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, standing up.

"What's wrong?" She repeated. "You have barely talked to me." The tears were flowing now, his face was a contorted mask of confusion and worry.

"I...Anne, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm just distracted I guess." He explained, but that made it worse, because she knew that he had so much going on and she was making it worse by behaving like a child looking for attention.

"I know that. I know something is going on and you are lying to me about it." She finally managed to get that out. 

"I didn't want to worry you." He moved toward her.

"Well I am worried. About you and about us." She cried and he took her into his arms, running a hand over her hair.

"About us? Anne-girl, never worry about us."

"You've shut me out." She cried into his shoulder. She wanted to add that he had no problem telling Teddy everything, but couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Anne, I am so sorry. The farm is having some financial problems and Bash and I didn't know how we were going to pay it. That's all, I know you are worried about Matthew and school and I didn't want to unload all my problems on to you. I swear that's all, I didn't mean to make you feel this way." He told her. It all seemed to make so much sense, and she felt relief wash over her. 

"I'm sorry too, for having a fit, while you almost lost the farm." 

"No, it's okay. You didn't know, and I didn't tell you what was going on. Keeping it to myself hurt you and I swear that wasn't my intention. I care about you so much Anne." The way he stared into her eyes made her stomach quiver. She could almost convince herself that he was saying more than his words implied. 

"Me too." She told him, allowing herself to lean into him, he was still holding her. 

"Now let me tell you the craziest part of this whole story." He led her to the table, and launched into the tale of the mysterious payments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if it just me, but the scene from Anne's point of view is 100% straight out of my life. When I am upset, I assume my husband is too, and I perceive every word and action as some sort of passive/aggressive action, when it's usually nothing. I have been known to be a bit dramatic and an overthinker...


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things begin to unravel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! This was so easy to write! 
> 
> There is a brief scene of someone throwing up, there is no real description, but it is mentioned, you will know it when you get to it, so fair warning.

Gilbert entered Teddy's building at the usual time, climbed the stairs and knocked on her door. She didn't answer, he knocked again, a little harder, then again. He took out his phone and it went straight to voicemail after one ring. He tried again, again and then attempted to text her, no response. He sighed out heavily...that was his answer then. She didn't want to see him again and it seemed impossible that she would have made the payments and then ghosted him. He wished he could explain to her, but he didn't even know how to that. 

He drove home and decided to try and forget about Teddy, she clearly didn't want his business anymore and he had to respect that. He would always appreciate that she helped him to open himself up to hugs and cuddling, even with his male friends. 

The rest of the week passed by in long days of studying, and hanging out with Anne, it seemed as if their misunderstanding had pushed them together in the end. She was home with him every night, studying and watching TV together, where it had somehow become common for her to be snuggled up under his arm, or with her head in his lap, while he brushed the hair back from her face with his fingers. He discovered he liked this type of cuddling too, holding someone and soothing them was just as satisfying as being held. 

"Do you think we will actually complete the game, or will it turn into another group cuddle?" Anne asked him, the Saturday after Teddy, and the farm events. Their gang was coming over again, it wasn't a planned group cuddle, it was their regularly scheduled game night.

"Maybe. I'd be down for it, wouldn't you?" He couldn't help but remember their last game night just the week before had ended with her sleeping in his arms.

"It was nice...but you know me, I live for these game nights." She grinned.

"You just like to crush all your competition." He teased.

"I don't deny it." She agreed. 

The Pauls arrived first, bringing a couple of two-fours with them. Then Moody, Ruby and Charlie came with the pizzas. Josie, and Tille came with some chips and a bottle of tequila. Jane was last to arrive, she brought a new strain of weed.

"If we are doing Trivial Pursuit, it's the only way we have a shot of beating you two." She told Anne and Gilbert. They all got high in the backyard and then sat around the table, pulling coloured wedges from the game, to pick a team mate. Gilbert matched with Josie, and Anne with Moody, the only condition for the game was Anne and Gilbert were never allowed to be on the same team when trivia was involved, their combined knowledge would crush the others. They all took a shot of tequila before starting the game, Gilbert was already feeling a buzz from the weed and just sat with a smile on his face, waiting for his and Josie's turn. 

If your team got a wedge, you took a shot. It wasn't long before Josie, Moody, Anne and Gilbert were four more shots in, Tillie and Diana had three wedges, Paul S and Ruby had two wedges and Jane and Paul L also had two, Charlie hadn't matched with anyone and was playing by himself, he had three wedges too. 

"Spliff break." Jane declared and they all went back outside to smoke some more pot. 

"So what do you guys think happened to Teddy?" Moody asked them. 

"Who's Teddy?" One of the Paul S asked.

"The professional cuddler." Tillie reminded him.

"What do you mean, what happened?" Gilbert asked, glad it was dark and no one could see him blushing.

"She's gone, not doing it anymore."

"She stopped? How do you know?" Gilbert asked him, feeling his heart begin to pound.

"She sent me a text. Didn't you get one?" Moody asked him, Gilbert shook his head.

"I got one." Jane said, and all the others who had visited Teddy confirmed they had received one also. All of them except him. It was pretty hard to tell himself it had nothing to do with him.

"What did it say?" He asked.

"Just that she was no longer able to provide the service, thanks for the business and wished me well in the future." Diana explained. 

"She was so nice, I'm going to miss her." Ruby said, her eyes filling with tears, she always cried when she drank. 

"Don't cry Ruby, I'll brush your hair." Moody offered and the smile on Ruby's face could have powered an entire city, it was so bright.

"She was pretty dope, I won't miss that fake Russian accent though. What was up with that?" Jane said. Anne who was taking a hit from the joint started coughing. Russian? 

"It wasn't Russian, it was Irish." Tillie laughed at Jane.

"You guys are drunk. It was Australian." Diana rolled her eyes. 

"Teddy was French." Gilbert finally spoke up.

"Italian." Charlie said.

"British for me." Moody added.

"Ruby? What accent did you hear?" Jane asked.

"I'm terrible with accents, you guys know that." Ruby told them. "But she sounded kind of like Merida, from Brave."

"So Scottish." Josie supplied. Ruby nodded. 

"That doesn't make any sense." Jane said. "Why did she have a different accent for all of us?"

"Maybe she's an actress, just trying to perfect her accents." Anne offered. "Let's get back to the game, I have a feeling we are going to win this one, Moody."

The others followed Anne inside, still giving theories and guesses as to what happened with Teddy.  
Gilbert's mind was racing, what had Teddy been hiding? Why had she used different accents? Had she hacked into his bank and paid his bills? Why had she disappeared? It didn't make sense and he wasn't sober enough to figure it out, 

Anne picked up her bottle of beer and drank half of it in one go. Her heart was racing, she could feel a light sweat breaking out over her body. This was it, this is when they all figured it out and she suddenly was terrified of their reactions. She even missed an easy question because she could not focus on the game. She had to sit on her hands and let Moody roll the dice and and move their game piece around the board, because her hands were shaking so hard. 

"Wait a second!" Jane blurted out of the blue. "She also wore contacts."

"A lot of people wear contacts." Anne said, trying to keep her voice steady. 

"True, but her eyes were so blue. It had to be fake, no one has eyes that colour." 

'Fuck' Anne said to herself, as all the others began to compare eyes colour which led to her hair colour. They started to talk over each other, making up crazy reasons as to why Teddy had gone to great lengths to hide her identity, she was a prostitute, an actress, a stalker, a spy.

"None of these make any sense." Charlie said.

"Guys." Gilbert said and everyone looked at him. "I may know something but it won't answer who she was or where she went." Anne wanted to shout, to beg him not to say anything.

"Tell us." Jane demanded.

"Last time I saw her, last Saturday, uhm...we uh...we kissed." The room was quiet for several seconds before it exploded with voices. Most of the girls were angry at Gilbert, telling him he had crossed the line, the guys were asking about details. 

"What do you mean you kissed? I thought it was all nonsexual." Josie asked, leaning forward with interest. 

"It's supposed to be. She never kissed me." Charlie told them.

"What happened Gilbert?" Diana asked gently. 

"I heard some bad news about the farm from Bash, I started freaking out, a panic attack I guess. I called her up and she said she was free so I went right over to her place. I have never felt like that, unable to breathe and my heart was racing, I really thought I was going to die. She suggested an extreme therapy." He kept his eyes on the beer bottle in his hands.

"Oh I bet she did." Josie grinned salaciously.

"Skin to skin contact, but I was too upset, to relax. I don't think she meant to kiss me, but suddenly she was and I was kissing her back and then she was on top of me and..." He finally looked up from his beer bottle and looked right at Anne, she felt her heart stop then, as everything came crashing down on her. He had said her name. In that minute of intimacy he wasn't thinking about Teddy, he had been thinking of her, and the way he was looking at her, his eyes were filled with guilt and shame. He felt guilty for what had happened with Teddy, because...he loved Anne. She felt the beer and pizza making its way back up her throat.

"I'm going to be sick." She said, covering her mouth and running upstairs to the washroom, dropping to her knees and throwing up. Tears streaming down her face. She'd had him, she had everything she had wanted and he would be lost to her, when he found out the truth. A cool hand, moved her hair out of the way, and rubbed her back. 

"You'll be okay, almost done." Diana said to her. When her stomach was empty, and sat on the floor, tears still flowing.

"I fucked up Diana." She cried. Diana shut the door and sat beside Anne. "I'm going to lose him."

"What are you talking about? Teddy? Don't worry about her, she's gone anyway." Diana put her arm around Anne and tried to comfort her.

"She's not gone. I'm Teddy." She whispered. She watched Diana's face as her revelation worked its way through Diana's mind.

"Oh Anne, what have you done?" She said as a fresh bout of tears began to fall from Anne's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canadian Translations
> 
> Two-fours - a 24 pack of beer, usually bottles


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert starts to put the clues together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are the best! I love all your support and comments, thank you all.

Three days later, Gilbert was shovelling snow from the driveway when it all became clear to him. He had been trying to imagine what Teddy looked like with the blonde hair and green eyes that Diana knew her to have. That in turn led him to wonder why she had the disguises in the first place, it made no sense. Why have a different look and accent for each of your customers? It was in that moment he finally thought that perhaps it wasn't for all of her customers, but for his group of friends. 

No..." He shook his head laughing at himself. It couldn't be that, there was nothing special about their group that would warrant that kind of hiding one's identity...it made sense though. Was it someone they knew? And as soon as he thought that he remembered something Anne had said to him. 

When she had been upset about him not talking to her, she had said "I'm sorry too, for having a fit, while you almost lost the farm." Almost. He hadn't told her about the mystery payments at that point, so she should have said something like "could be losing the farm".

"Oh my God." He gasped out. She wouldn't... "She knows your fucking password." He yelled at himself. He dropped the shovel and ran into the house, not bothering to take off his boots and went up to her room. He had been in there plenty of times, but never with the intention to "search" it. He didn't want her to know if he was wrong, so he was very careful about putting everything back where it had been. He looked in her closet, for wigs, or contacts...turtlenecks. Under the bed, in the drawers, looking for what? He didn't know, bank statements, copies of the contracts. No, she was far too smart to leave them in the house, if she had been so careful to hide everything from him, she wouldn't be sloppy with that stuff. It must all be at the apartment. 

He ran back downstairs, grabbed his car keys and drove to Teddy's apartment building. He was pounding on the door when a neighbour opened theirs.

"She moved out." The middle aged man said.

"When?" Gilbert asked him.

"Last week."

"Shit." Gilbert said, she was so fucking smart. Of course she would leave the scene of the crime. 

He went back to his car and started it up, starting to mentally compose his words for when he confronted her. He needed proof first. "I got you now Anne." He whispered to himself and pulled out his phone, hitting the "Find my Friend" app, and following it to the address where she was located. It wasn't far from her last apartment building, it was a house, he parked a bit away from it and sat in his car. Waiting, to see her, he knew she was inside, but he couldn't just pound the door down could he? And what if she wasn't Teddy? What if he showed up there and she was with friends or on a date or something? He would look like a lunatic. He sat and waited.

"Alright Kendra, you want to book for next week? The same time?" Anne asked her client.

"Oh yes please Teddy."

"Great, I will see you then." She walked Kendra to the door and let her out, shutting and locking the door behind her. Moving to vacuum the couch before her next appointment arrived. 

She still needed the money, she couldn't afford to cut off all of her customers, so she had ended things with the people she knew, and let the rest of her clients know she had moved locations.

She only had a few days left before she would be forced to tell everyone. That was the only stipulation Diana had insisted on. She had listened to Anne's story, had hugged her, washed her face and told her she forgave her for the lie. 

"I understand the need for anonymity, but you could have told us. I know you already know everything about me, but you didn't give me the choice to be vulnerable with you Anne. I thought I was with Teddy, a stranger who didn't know me and wouldn't judge me."

"I don't judge you. Any of you. We all have trauma and hurt in our pasts." Anne explained.

"You took away our consent in this Anne. That's going to piss some of us off." Diana told her.

"Do you think they will forgive me?"

"I forgive you. I can't speak for them." Dian said gently.

"Oh Diana, you truly are my oldest and most bosom friend." Anne said crying again.

She was putting the vacuum away when she heard knocking on the door. It was too early for her next client, she went to the door and opened it. Her heart dropping when she saw Gilbert standing in the doorway, his face dark and thunderous. She wasn't wearing a disguise, she didn't with her other clients.

"Gilbert...I"

"Save it, I don't want to hear your lies...Teddy." She flinched at the harsh tone. "This whole time." He said, shaking his head. She felt her eyes fill with tears, but didn't speak. How could she explain herself? He started to turn around and walk down the front steps but stopped when he got to the bottom and turned around to face her.   
"I loved you." he admitted and then turned and walked away. The sob she was holding in finally broke free. To hear him say it like that, the coldness in his voice, to tell her he loved her in the past tense, confirmed to her that she had been right, she'd had him and now she had lost him. She shut the door, went to the washroom and washed her face, then she finished getting ready for her next client, pushing all her pain aside until she could unpack it later.

She didn't go home that night, she couldn't face him. His hurt, his pain, his anger. She knew she deserved all of it but she needed a night to mourn the loss of him. She scrolled through her phone, looking at pictures of him, and ones of them together, remembering each moments, and the memories that had never been captured by the camera. She didn't even tell Diana what had happened, she didn't deserve any sympathy that Diana might offer, she deserved all the pain she was feeling.

The next day she went to classes, trying to keep a smile on her face, so no one would ask her what was wrong. If anyone said "are you alright" she would have lost it and started crying. So she plastered on a fake grin and pretended life was perfectly fine. She cancelled her appointments that day and with her stomach in knots went back to the house she shared with Gilbert. He wasn't there, she should have been relieved that the inevitable confrontation was postponed, but instead she just felt sadder, he wasn't in the kitchen cooking, or on the couch reading, he wasn't there waiting for her with a smile. 

She went up to her room and began packing, one bag for what she needed immediately, and and another with her other stuff, she didn't want to force him to throw her out, or have him move out, she had a place she could stay at...she would just go there. She was going to need more boxes and some help moving her heavy stuff. She remembered the day they moved in together, laughing and swearing as they tried to get the couch through the front door. 

She heard him come home and sat on her bed hiding for a bit longer, working up the courage to face him again. She kept seeing his face when he had said he's loved her, the guilt, shame and regret she felt was gut wrenching, she had done that to him.

She took several deep breaths and gathered up her courage and went downstairs, he was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, drinking a beer. When she entered he looked at her, his face completely blank, before he turned around, to look out the window, his back to her.

"Is there any point in me trying to explain any of it?" She asked him, proud of herself for not crying. It wouldn't be fair for her to cry at him, not when she had betrayed him. 

"I don't want to hear it. Not today."

"I understand. I'll stay out of your way for the next few days." She said and he snorted.

"Going to play dress up and hug some strangers?" He asked her, the anger coming off him in waves now. She deserved it, she didn't counter his comment or fight back.

"I'm going to tell the others on Saturday, at game night." She told him, it would give him the choice to be there or avoid it. "If you want to talk before then..." She left it at that, going back up to her room and grabbing her bag. She didn't see him as she left the house, she assumed he was still in the kitchen, she hesitated at the door, wondering what he would do if she went into the kitchen and told him she loved him too.

"Too late, Anne-girl." She answered for him, before walking to her car and leaving.

When she was gone he allowed himself to cry. He didn't know how he had anymore tears left. The initial wave had been from his anger, unable to yell or lash out they had manifested in tears of frustration, then alone on their couch, he had cried for the lies and betrayal. How could he have been so wrong about her? He genuinely loved her, still did, how could he love her when she could lie and decieve so easily? That wasn't the woman he loved. Then he cried at the loss of her. The dream of them together would never be a reality.

Even when he was boiling with rage and hurt, she still took his breath away, he could see her eyes and nose were red, she'd been crying and his instinct was to comfort her. He'd had to turn away before his resolve broke and he forgave her, every fibre of his being was telling him to help her, to make her smile. He didn't, instead he let her go, stayed in the kitchen until he heard her leave the house and her car drive away, then he sat on the couch and cried.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne faces her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly done friends. I can't believe how this crazy concept has been so warmly accepted by you all. I truly appreciate you all, even if you only read and never comment. Thank you for giving this a shot and for returning with each update.

She felt like shit, not just because she was on her way to Charlie's, and she would have to tell them all that she was Teddy, not just because she usually drove or took an Uber with Gilbert, and they would laugh and sing on the way, not because she had spent most of the time crying, swinging from guilt to heartache. She felt like shit because she hadn't been able to eat, and now she was tired and weak, she'd managed a few sips of coffee or tea and some plain toast over the last few days, she barely had the strength to walk. She parked the car down the street from the house where Charlie lived, he shared it with two other people, but they were away for the weekend, so he was able to host game night. She could see Moody, Diana's, Josie's and Paul L.'s cars on the street, she had arrived late, so that she would be the last one there, and avoid the small talk before she had to tell them what she had done. She got out of the car and walked toward Charlie's house, holding one arm across her stomach that was in knots. 

By the time she reached the door, she was covered in a nervous sweat, she was about to face her ten closest friends and reveal she lied to them, she felt her stomach rumble and she thought she would actually crap her pants. She rang the bell and was met by Charlie's smiling face.

"You're late. Hurry up, I have the Rummoli board set up." He instructed. So Gilbert and Diana hadn't said anything yet, she'd almost wish they had. She kept her jacket on, she didn't imagine she would be there very long and followed Charlie to the living room, where everyone was waiting. Diana looked up with soft eyes and a gentle smile, giving Anne a small head nod of encouragement, everyone else seemed to be counting out pennies and nickels for the game, except Gilbert, who sat in a chair off to the side, arms crossed over his chest, staring at the others, he didn't even raise his head to look at her when she enters.

"Jesus Anne, you look terrible." Josie declared.

"Are you sick Anne?" Ruby asked.

"If you have the flu, you need to leave. I am not trying to get sick." Tillie told her.

"I'm not sick." She told them. "I have something to tell you all." The ones who didn't know her secret, looked at her with curiosity. 

"You're pregnant!" Tillie exclaimed, leading the rest to laugh or admonish her not to joke about that.

"No. I uhm...I couldn't find a job, and I was really desperate for money. Matthew and Marilla were taking money out of their retirement fund for not only my tuition but for my rent, car insurance, utilities and whatever else I needed. And Matthew's heart has been really bad so he hasn't been able to work the farm as much and they had to hire on more people to help. They were barely getting by, I needed money fast. So I uhm...I need to... I'm Teddy."

She kept her eyes on Diana, while the rest of the room processed her words and began to react. She couldn't take it all in, snippets of it filtered through "Liar" was the most repeated.

"I understand you are all hurt and angry. I'm just trying to tell you the truth now, and tell you that my intentions were never to hurt you."

"You carried out this elaborate fraud on us, lied to us, so convincingly, and now you expect us to believe you are sorry?" Charlie said.

"She's only sorry she got caught." Jane yelled. "God, I told you things..."

"I haven't and won't divulge any of what you said..."

"And we can trust a liar?" Tillie practically snarled.

"We should at least consider her side." Ruby spoke up. Anne looked at her with gratitude.

"Why should we?" Moody asked Ruby, her first client and the one to recommend her to his friends, she knew he was probably feeling like he caused this for them all, and he always felt like he wasn't smart enough for the group, she figured he must feel like an idiot for not recognizing her.

"You don't owe me anything. I completely understand if you can't get past this." Anne told them.

"Wait a second, you kissed Gilbert!" Paul S shouted. Fucking Paul S hadn't even been one of her clients, of course he would be latching on to that detail.

"Yeah and you got naked in bed with him." Paul L recalled. Anne looked at Gilbert, who was finally looking at her. He didn't look angry, but was definitely wearing a look of curiosity, as though he wanted to know what had happened there too. 

"We weren't naked..."

"Was this all some plot to finally fuck Gilbert Blythe?" Josie asked her.

"Of course not..."

"I think that whatever happened between Gilbert and Anne should stay between them." Diana tried to turn the topic away from Gilbert and Anne. 

"Why should it? She knows all of our secrets, feelings. Why does she get to come out of this with her secrets still hidden away?" Jane asked Diana. 

"Yeah, were you simply horny Anne, or were you finally acting on your feeling for Gilbert?" Charlie asked her. Her eyes flew to Gilbert, looking to see his reaction, he looked so confused...could he still not really understand that she always loved him? 

"I'm going to go. If you want to talk more, one on one, or just yell at me...let me know. I'm sorry and I love you all." She refused to look at Gilbert when she said the last part, turning and leaving the room. She got in her car and drove away, pulling into a Tim Horton's parking lot a few minutes down the road, parking and laying her arms and head on the steering wheel and crying. 

He changed his mind numerous times, right up until he knocked on Charlie's door. He didn't want to be there, he didn't want to see her. Yet he deserved some answers, of course he hadn't asked the questions when he first found out, but several days later, he was curious. He had thought of little else. Constantly asking himself questions and then answering them, not to mention rethinking everything he had said, wishing he could go back and change what he had said. 

He thought he might enjoy her misery a bit, watch her squirm at the other's reactions...he hadn't. He knew she was worried about Matthew's health, he knew about the extra hands working at Green Gables, and if Bash was struggling with the trade war, surely the Cuthberts were as well. She had searched and searched for a job that would pay her enough to meaningfully help out, and allow her the time to study, being a professional cuddler had given her the time to study and enough money to help him and Bash. He hadn't really thought on that too much either, he had to keep that seperate for now, if he was going to forgive her, he had to do it because he could forgive her, not from gratitude.

He'd had to avert his eyes when he saw her, she looked so thin and pale, dark circles under her eyes, Josie was right, Anne did look terrible. He again had to fight against instinct, not just his medical instinct to help those in need, but against his own heart, that wanted to scoop her up and keep her safe. She had made this mess, she was going to have to face it on her own. 

He wanted to tell the Pauls to shut up, he didn't want to remember that moment in the bed with Teddy, he still couldn't say it was with Anne, not when she was hiding from him, he had to keep them both separate for the time being. He could still smell her, taste her, feel her against him, he compared it to the hugs and cuddles he'd had with Anne, Anne smelled like vanilla and cherries, kissing Teddy had been such a mixture of confusion for him. It had felt good, right, but felt wrong at the same time, it wasn't the woman he had been yearning for. He had seen his Anne in his mind and heart and her name had escaped his lips. She hadn't even been mad at him for the wrong name, she had been scared, afraid he had discovered her secret. He'd wondered if she had been angry or annoyed with him for saying her name, that for her it was just sex and his obvious feelings had just been realized by her, and it was something she didn't want.

What did Charlie mean when she said Anne was finally acting on her feelings for him? Did Charlie think that Anne cared for him more than friends did? She'd never giving him any indication she did. The look she had given Gilbert in that moment had made his heart stop for a second. Did she love him?

He watched her walk away, gripping the arms of the chair, to hold himself down, he wanted to chase after her, make things go back to the way they had been, but that cat was never going back in the bag. He was trying to consider what this would mean for them going forward when he was yanked out of his thoughts by Jane and Ruby arguing.

"Ruby, she lied and manipulated us." Jane said angrily. 

"She did lie, but did she really manipulate you? Did she force you or coerce you into sharing things you didn't want to?" Ruby argued, that made Gilbert recall his conversations with Teddy, she hadn't really pushed him to share, she asked questions, offered to listen, but never really probed his mind for details. 

"Ruby, you are being too forgiving. She used us, for our money." Moody said. That had Gilbert standing up and finally speaking.

"She provided a service for which all of us were free to say no to." Gilbert told them.

"Of course he's going to stick up for her." Charlie said.

"You're fucking right I am. She would stand up for any one of us and has multiple times in the past. That's who she is. And it speaks to her character that even when she found a way to make money, it was helping people. Helping us. Every single one of us who visited Teddy, raved about how she was helping you, because you now know it was Anne, you are going to say she didn't help us?"

"I sleep so much better." Tillie admitted.

"I don't get the blues as much." Ruby confided to them. "Before I would cry every time I saw a mother and child, an elderly couple or even young couples. I used to feel so lonely...I don't as much now." Ruby said. "Moody, you told me yourself that you have felt much lighter spiritually."

"That is true." Moody nodded. "I didn't know how to process the lack of physical affection that I needed, while trying to not have sex."

"I told her things I hadn't told anyone." Gilbert told them. "But they were things I wanted to share with Anne, but I had this stupid idea that I had to keep up this image of having it all under control, and that I didn't need to heap my problems on her."

"The real fact is, she would have held anyone of us, and listened to our problems for free, if we had asked her." Diana noted. "Gilbert is right, that's who she is."

"So do we just forgive her? Act like this never happened?" Jane wondered. 

"Not if you aren't ready, but I hope you can find it in your hearts to do that at some point." Diana answered. 

Gilbert went to his chair and grabbed his coat.

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked.

"I'm about to go tell that crazy woman I love her." He said before thinking. 

"Well it's about fucking time." Josie declared, while the rest of them shouted their encouragements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rummoli - a strange game that involves cards, pennies, gambling and family drama. Grew up playing it with my family and I recommend it to everyone.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert declares his love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot less angst in this one. As always, I thank you all for your comments, you guys are so thoughtful and see things in this story, that I didn't even know where there. 
> 
> Any 5sos fans out there? I used one of my favourite lines.

He went straight to her new place, and knocked on the door, repeatedly. "Anne?!" He even called out. She said to contact her if they wanted to talk, she wouldn't ignore him now would she? He pulled out his phone and once again used the Find my Friends app and saw she was still close to Charlie's. He got back in his car and headed toward her. On his initial drive he hadn't thought about anything other than getting to her. Now he practiced what he was going to say to her. 

"Anne, I know that we will still have a lot to work through, to restore trust and open communication, I want you to know I forgive you. I realise you didn't do this with any ill intentions, and I hope you can also forgive me for reacting badly, and refusing to let you explain. Moving forward I hope that not only can we mend what was broken but become more then that because I love you and want to be with you."

He repeated that a few times, changing a few words until was happy with it all. He saw her car as he was pulling into the Tim Hortons. He parked his car and walked over to hers, seeing her slouched over the steering wheel, her shoulders shaking. He knocked gently on the window which startled her and she looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, snot running down her face. He couldn't hear her but she clearly said "Gilbert?" and then moved to open the window. He stared at her tear stained face, dark circles under her eyes, freckles bright against her paler than normal complexion. She used her sleeve to wipe are her face.

"Gilbert?" She said his name again. Looking at her, he remembered the first day she came to school, grade seven, she'd entered the class in a pair of faded, worn out overalls, a dark green shirt, her hair pulled back from her face in a half braid, he'd been hooked. After that she was light the flame and he the moth, she always seemed to be his beacon...calling him nearer and nearer. Billy Andrews had cornered her by her locker, that first day, knocked her books on the ground and was leaning in saying mean things to her, Gilbert hadn't even hesitated, he had pulled Billy away, shoved him up against a locker and threatened to kick Billy's ass the next time he tried that shit in Gilbert's school. After Billy had stalked off, Anne had gotten into Gilbert's face and told him she didn't need rescuing, and that she could slay her own dragons, it was the start of their friendship, equal parts of rivalry and respect. 

Their moments came flashing back to him in seconds, feeling his heart hammering in his chest at their first high school dance, when they had been jumping around and acting like fools to "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers when a slow song came on right after, and he had asked her to dance. They held each other, stiff armed and the space between their bodies could have fit another person, but she was his first slow dance and he'd been thrilled it was with Anne. 

Her running up the driveway and jumping over the fence to tell him she had been accepted to the University of Charlottetown, thrilled to not only be able to stay close to Green Gables, but near her friends. Moments of laughter, sadness, anger, confusion, and love...they all returned and in them he saw them with fresh eyes. She'd held him when he cried after his father's funeral, he'd needed that so much, she'd always been there for him.

"Gilbert? What do you want?" She asked breaking him from his thoughts. 

"I...Anne..."

"If you want to yell at me, can we do it back at our...your place? I am so tired and I don't want to be publicly shamed." She looked utterly defeated. His Anne-girl a fierce warrior for justice, who never backed down from a fight, looked broken.

"I love you. I'm sorry it took me so long to say it." He blurted out, so much for his rehearsed speech, he thought.

"What about..." She started to ask.

"I don't care. We can go back to our place and we can talk about it. Just please come home with me."

"Okay." She nodded, and he could see a spark returning to her eyes.

"Okay, I'll meet you there." He turned to go back to his car but she started honking the horn and calling his name. He turned back toward her. 

"I love you too Gilbert Blythe." She told him. He couldn't stop himself, he ran back to her car, stuck his head in the window and kissed her, one hand holding the back of her head.

She had to be dreaming, things like this only happened in rom-coms and fanfictions, things like this didn't happen to Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. Gilbert Blythe did not just declare his love for her and ask her to come home with him. He wasn't currently kissing her, cradling her head in his hand, pressing his lips against hers. When he stopped kissing her, he pulled back from her and looked in her eyes, a smile on his face. 

"I'll see you at home, yeah?"

"Yeah." She nodded, he didn't leave though, he shook his head as if he didn't want to leave her, for even a few moments and pulled her in for another kiss.

"Okay, see you in a few minutes."

"Don't speed." She called after him. She started the car, but before she put it in drive she pinched her arm, just to make sure she wasn't imagining the whole thing.

He was leaning against his car when she pulled into the driveway, texting on his phone. "Just sending everyone an update that we are talking and to not bother either of us for a while." He told her when she got out of her car.  
"You are so pale, let's get inside and I'll make you something to eat." He said, taking her hand and leading her toward the house. As though it heard him speak of food, her stomach growled, hungry for the first time in days.

"Sounds amazing, I'm starving."

Inside her led her to the kitchen and just as he was about to pull out a chair he stopped, and pulled her against him for a hug. She knew whatever was coming, whichever friends she may have lost, she had him. They would work through it and she clung to him, holding him as tightly as she could. "Okay, food." He stated, helping her into her chair and preparing to make her something. 

She watched him while he worked, the way his back moved, the shy grin he would flash over his shoulder as he checked in on her, whether to see if she was alright, or to make sure she was really there, she didn't know. God she'd missed this, the simple moments when it was just the two of them. It was time to be completely honest with him.

"I broke up with Roy because I was in love with you." She told him. He spun around to look at her, eyes wide with surprise, his eyebrows raised in question. "He was great, a fantastic boyfriend, and would have made a perfect husband, but he wasn't you and I didn't love him. I stole one of your shirts from your bedroom when we were fifteen. I came with Marilla to help you guys out while you and Bash were at the hospital, I couldn't resist. I wore it to bed every night for years." He seemed to realise that she was sharing all the things she had kept from him over the years. He turned back to his work, allowing her to open up. "I lied to you about kissing that boy in Ottawa. I was jealous you had hooked up with Shannon Miller, so I made up a boy. I didn't kiss anyone until Simon Harris kissed me during Truth or Dare."

He continued to say nothing, but set a bowl of soup and a fried egg sandwich in front of her, went and got his own food and sat in his usual spot across from her. "God I hated Shannon Miller. She was such a bitch about it too." She said as she took a bite of her sandwich, and Gilbert laughed.

"We didn't really hook up, she cornered me in the kitchen at that party and kissed me once. I let people think what they wanted, because I was fourteen and desperate to look cool."

"She made it sound like you had gone to second base with her. I think I loved you since that first day you stood up to Billy for me. Of course I didn't realise it for a couple of years." 

"I always knew. Just too chicken to tell you." He admitted. She smiled at that and thought about all the what ifs, but decided that they were too young and too dumb to know things like love, at least back then.

"I'm sorry I lied to you about being Teddy. Moody was my first client, I didn't think all of you would approve, I thought it would be awkward charging my friends for hugs, and it would be awkward just hugging them in a business setting, so I made up a name and decided to disguise myself and use an accent. Moody was so nervous on his first visit that he hardly even looked me in the eye, but he came back, and then he brought in more customers. When Tillie was coming, I kept remembering her seeing me in a wig similar to the one I wore for Moody, so I got a black wig for Tillie, and for some stupid reason, changed my accent. I guess by the time you got to me, I got a little thrill by seeing if I could convince you all that I was someone else. I thought for sure you are Diana would see the real me."

"I..." He started and she cut him off.

"I went to crazy lengths to hide, I used different fabric softener, perfumes, creams, even body wash. I showered when I got there and before I left. I had clothes just for Teddy, and never mixed them up."

"I never even had an inkling, never suspected it." He told her.

"God when you said my name, I thought you knew, or figured it out. It was like a bucket of water had been dumped on me, and then I felt the enormity of the lie I was living...I freaked out and then I couldn't face you. I was worried about it so I ghosted you, and then I started thinking that you would somehow find out through the others so I cancelled all their appointments. I was so stupid, I should have just told you from the beginning."

"Let's not think of what might have been, the truth is out and you love me." His smile was so blindingly beautiful it almost hurt to look at it. 

"So what now?" She asked him.

"Now Anne-girl...we go on like before...but with a whole lot of making out too."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert keep trying to resolve things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more with maybe an epilogue after this. Working on some Christmas surprises so I may not post new, once this story is finished, until December.

"Can you trust me? Do you trust me?" She asked him, he was washing up the dishes and she was finishing her tea.

He thought about it, did he really trust her? "You lied." He finally said.

"I did."

"Not about just about Teddy." 

"The money." She stated. He turned around to face her, leaning against the counter.  
"The money. I thought I was going crazy. You let me feel that way."

"I'm not sorry for making the payments. I'm sorry to have caused you that distress, and I promise to never lie to you like that again. I hope you can believe me...if not today than one day."

"Lie like that?" He picked up on that phrase right away.

"I may have to lie in the future, surprise parties, Christmas presents...stupid little lies. But never anything that would hurt you or make you angry." 

"Why did you make those payments?" He asked her, moving to the chair beside her.

"I couldn't let you and Bash lose the farm." She said simply.

"I don't know when we will be able to pay you back." He said.

"Never. It was a gift, and I gave it hoping you would never know it was me." At his expression she continued. "Well the money was coming from Teddy, how was I going to explain that kind of money?"

"That's the reason I told Bash it couldn't be you. You were supposed to be broke. You know we're going to have to pay you back."

"I won't take it, put it in Dellie's education fund." She told him, and he fell just a little harder for her. It was so like her to want to make sure there was money for Dellie's college or university dreams. 

"I'm going to have to change my passwords." He said. She rolled her eyes.

"You mean password. And I've already seen your porn collection." She teased and he laughed. The closest thing he had to porn on his laptop was his folder of Anne pictures, it was labeled Pathology Definitions, he was fairly certain she hadn't found that. "But change them if you want or need to. I also promise to never use one of your devices or log into your accounts, without your permission."

"I don't want to remember a new one." He admitted. "You're spending a lot of time apologizing and promising. It's only fair I say sorry too. I'm sorry for icing you out for so long. We should have talked the next day, I should have listened. I promise to always let you explain yourself, you may have to give me some time to sort out my thoughts though."

"Deal" She agreed. 

"I'm sorry that I didn't let you in. If I had just opened up to you, I wouldn't have needed to go see Teddy."

"She did get you cuddling me." Anne smiled, she was right. Teddy opened him up to being more physically affectionate with Anne. 

That led her to address the elephant in the room. "I'm sorry I kissed you as Teddy." She was sorry, that had confused them both and caused a large part of the turmoil.

"Why did you?" He asked her. She didn't even really know the answer herself. She shook her head and shrugged.

"I don't know, I guess because you were so upset and seeing you like that scared me, and I just wanted to comfort you. It wasn't really planned or thought out, I just reacted. I'm so sorry."

"It's funny because even though I never suspected you were Teddy, she reminded me of you, like you said, the smell was different, the hair wasn't right but I don't know, I couldn't put my finger on it but there was just something about her that felt like you. When you kissed me as her, I let myself pretend it was you. And then I said your name and you bolted, I knew you were crying but I didn't know how to fix it, you told me to leave, I thought if I stayed it would make it worse."

"God I really made a mess of things." She groaned and covered her face with her hands. How could he even forgive her?

"It's a mess that we can clean up." He said gently pulling her hands away from her face. 

"How? How can you really ever forgive me? Part of me resented Teddy." She admitted to him, she had never even allowed herself to think it before.

"Why?"

"She got to hold you, she knew how you were really feeling, even after you said my name, I was so obsessed with you opening up to her that I didn't even realise the significance of you saying my name."

"Can you forgive me for almost hooking up with Teddy? If you hadn't stopped I probably would have." He asked her, she hadn't even considered that.

"We weren't together..."

"But I love you, what does that say about me?" He wondered, she knew he wasn't the kind of guy to cheat, he must have been struggling with his emotions and guilt over Teddy.

"That you're human. I was with Roy when I loved you, you were with Winnie...I trust you." She needed him to know that.

"Well we're going to build that trust up, on both sides. We've taken years to get here." He took her hands and kissed her knuckles. "We can take our time getting to a really good place."

"Sounds good."

"It will be." He agreed and leaned in and kissed her.

Over the next week she heard from all her friends. Diana and Ruby of course forgave her. Moody came around to visit her a couple of days later and they had a long chat where she promised she would never tell anyone about their sessions or anything he revealed. She offered to cuddle him anytime he needed it, but he told her that he had been spending a lot of time with Ruby and he was getting a lot of hugs and cuddles from her. 

Josie and the Paul's didn't care. They wanted details about Anne and Gilbert, and any weirdos she had dealt with. They did however help Tillie understand what Anne had been going through and Anne took Tillie out for lunch and they talked through it.

Jane and Charlie took the longest, but eventually Charlie came around, he admitted that he wasn't that worried about the lying, he was just nervous that everyone would laugh at him. Like Moody and the others she promised she would never tell anyone what occured in their sessions. He also joked, saying game night wouldn't be the same without Anne, so he had no choice but to forgive her. 

Jane didn't entirely forgive her. "You know I don't trust people easily." She had told Anne. "I'm willing to give you another chance though, because you have always been a good friend to me." Anne promised to not fuck it up again.

Gilbert and Anne's relationship changed, he still started dinner, and she joined in to help when she got home, they still studied or watched TV together, the difference were little but seemed monumentous, sometimes they held hands when they were studying. He would drop a kiss on her nose when she made him laugh, at night when they were going to bed he would "walk" her to her door and kiss her goodnight.  
They decided to go slow and build their romantic relationship and both of them stuck to it, neither pushing to go further than kissing, of course there was lots of hugging and cuddling, but clothes stayed on and hands did not wander. 

That all changed when Jane hosted Game Night.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's game night at Jane's...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long, I literally had just a small portion to write but I have been focused on my Christmas stuff. I think I will write an epilogue for this at some point.
> 
> I can not thank you all enough for all the support and love you guys give me.

She was nervous, he could tell, it was the first time the whole group was hanging out together since the truth about Teddy had been revealed. He didn't think there would be a scene or any fights, but he understood why she was having some anxiety. Jane's game nights always involved drinking games and lots of weed, so they took an Uber. He held her hand and stroked his thumb over her knuckles as the driver made small talk with him, complaining about the Leafs, the weather and politics.

Jane lived in a small house with her older sister Prissy. It belonged to their family, they owned several in Charlottetown that they rented out, allowing the sisters this one because it was close to campus. Prissy sometimes hung out with them on Game night but she had a new girlfriend, and she was spending the night with her. Just before the rang the doorbell, he pulled her against him for a hug.

"Try to relax," He told her. "They have all said they forgive you."

"I know, but what if..."

"Then we leave." He assured her. 

Marijuana infused vodka was Jane's new find. She'd managed to get get her hands on several bottles and made a huge bowl of punch, soaking maraschino cherries, orange slices and grapes in it first before dumping it all into some fruit juice mixed with Sprite. It wasn't the best punch Gilbert had ever had but it was effective and he felt the effects before he finished his first drink. 

They were playing Balderdash, players were provided with a word, and then had to make up a definition for the word, the idea was to trick other players into believing your definition was the real one. It was one of Jane's favourites because she always did well at it. "A natural bullshitter" she would claim as to why she did so well. 

At some point, the game devolved into lewd sexual definitions. The game fully ending when Charlie's definition of "humpenscrump", his answer was "The act of ejactulating into the ear of a person that is singing the national anthem of your country."

"Jesus Christ Charlie." Jane said through tears of laughter. 

"I think we need to go old school." Josie said to them all. 

"Charades?" Moody asked.

"Truth or Dare." She grinned as the others all groaned. 

"Josie Pye, I am too old to be making out with one of the Pauls on a dare." Diana said.

"Yeah, I don't feel like flashing my balls." Paul L. agreed.

"Okay, no dares. How about we all pick a name and they have to answer one truth?" 

Gilbert looked at Anne who didn't look nervous so he agreed to play. He was going first and got Paul S. 

"Paul did you really see Bigfoot?" For years Paul had claimed to have seen Bigfoot while hiking with his family in British Columbia. Everyone doubted him, because he and his family were already really into Bigfoot before that, even naming their dogs Sasquatch and Yeti.

"At the time I really thought I did, but now I think it may have been a bear." Paul admitted. 

Secrets were revealed, Charlie was the one who broke Tillie's toilet in grade ten, Josie once farted while a guy was going down on her, Jane lied about getting her period when she was thirteen, she didn't get it until a year later, she just wanted to fit in, Moody shaved his head in grade eleven because his whole family got lice, Paul L was afraid of garden gnomes and would cross the street if he saw one while out walking. Everyone knew Ruby's secrets, she was never able to keep them for very long, she did admit to liking musicians and shot a meaningful look at Moody, who was blushing. Diana confessed to applying for a music degree scholarship in Paris, she didn't want to tell anyone until she knew if she got it, she was ready to get out from under her parents control. Tillie refused to, or couldn't choose between the Pauls once and for all. She loved them both "too dearly" she told them and instead agreed to a dare. She had to go jump in the snow with just her jeans and tshirt on, no socks, shoes or jacket. Not only did she do it without hesitation, she rolled around and made snow angels too. 

Josie got Gilbert and he squirmed in his seat at her evil grin. "Gilbert Blythe." She stated.

"Josie Pye." He said back to her. 

"It's been apparent to me you have loved Anne for years." Okay that he could deal with, afterall he had admitted it to Anne. "So how is the sex?" Josie hit him with the question she really wanted to ask, and he felt himself blushing, looking over at Anne who was also blushing but avoiding everyone's eyes by staring at her fingernails. It felt like they all inhaled and leaned forward while they waited for his answer.

"We haven't had sex." He finally told them.

"What the fuck? Why not? It's been weeks." Josie asked.

"One question." He reminded her and she narrowed her eyes at him. 

"You have loved each other for years, you finally admit you love each other and want to be together and you aren't getting in there...performance anxiety?" He knew she was trying to bait him, but he couldn't help himself.

"There's nothing wrong with taking it slow."

"Slow is one thing, your speed is glacial. Her eggs will be dried up and you'll be shooting out dust before you manage to actually get to the sex." Josie told him, causing the others to laugh. "Weren't you going to fuck Teddy? That didn't seem too fast?"

"Next question." Diana moved the game along.

Moody asked Anne. "Why Teddy?" Gilbert realised he didn't know the answer to this and turned to hear Anne's answer.

"I tried to think of a name that would convey comfort. I first considered names associated with grandmothers, Rose, Pearl, Daisy, but they just didn't feel right. I of course thought of romantical names like Cordelia, Gwenyth, Julianne, again they didn't seem right and almost seemed a bit escortish to me. I wanted the name to help people relax but not think there was anything sexual. So I chose Teddy...as in Teddy Bear. The name on the documents actually says "Teddy Behr." Did none of you actually read the contracts?" She asked as they all looked somewhere else, guilty for not reading the contracts.

"That is really cute Anne. It did conjure safe and warm feelings." Ruby told her.

They hung out talking for a while longer before it all began to break up for the night, Anne went to get her and Gilbert's coats, Josie cornered her by the closet. "You need to pick up the pace and get you some Blythe."

"We're rebuilding trust." she told Josie.

"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, you have done one completely messed up thing in your entire life. Besides that, you have proven yourself trustworthy time and time again. If he doesn't trust you right now, he never will." Josie wished her a good night and then returned to the party, leaving Anne, one arm in her coat the other just hanging there while she thought about Josie's words. 

"Uber is down the street." Gilbert said to her, holding up his phone. "You want to say bye to everyone?" She nodded and stuck her head into the room everyone left was sitting in. 

"Night guys, love you all, thanks Jane." Then she followed Gilbert out to the street to wait for their car. 

"That wasn't so bad was it?" He asked her.

"No it was great. We are lucky to have such great friends."

"We are." She agreed as the Uber pulled up. 

They got inside and he sat close to her, she couldn't help but think of what Josie had said. Were they moving too slowly, did he trust her enough? She rested her head on his shoulder, his hand was on her knee, gently rubbing it. Taking a chance she moved his hand higher up and more inside her legs, nothing sexual, but definitely not a place the hand of a friend would be. He didn't hesitate to start rubbing her leg there, sometimes inching a little closer to the apex of her thighs but never venturing all the way. It felt wonderful, the warmth from his hand seeped through her pants, sending tingles up and down her leg. 

Her stomach was filled with butterflies, her mind filled with questions, trust didn't come over night, she knew that but did he trust her enough to progress their relationship? She'd moved his hand and he hadn't rejected it. Did she make the next move? What was her next move? Roy had initiated all the sexual things in their relationship from handholding to kissing to actual sex. She'd never felt confident enough to outright say "I'm in the mood", she certainly had never tried to seduce him. If she somehow managed to get Gilbert into bed, would he want to take control? Would he want her to? Did he have condoms? Did he wear condoms? He's going to be a doctor, of course he uses condoms. She told herself. 

"Hey, we're here." He said softly and she looked around and saw their house. She followed him out of the car and up the stairs, he unlocked the door and let her in first, before he closed and locked the door. When he saw her still standing there, coat on, he smiled at her. 

"You feeling okay?" He asked. She nodded, building up the courage to form the words she wanted to say. 

"I want to sleep with you tonight." She finally said, he raised his eyebrows and studied her.

"We've both been drinking and using cannabis." He reminded her. Now that she had said the hard part, the rest didn't seem so bad. 

"True but I can assure you that I have wanted to sleep with you for years."

"Maybe we should talk first."

"I do not want to talk. I am going upstairs and getting naked, and getting into bed, I hope you join me." She pulled off her coat and threw it on a chair by the closet and then started up the stairs. She pulled her shirt off over her head as she started up the stairs, not looking back to see his reaction. Halfway up the stairs she heard him behind her and felt his hands on her hips.

"Just hands." He said as his lips found her shoulder. "And mouths." He added, sucking on her neck.

"Oh!" She gasped as his hands wandered over her skin and he continued to kiss her neck, their journey up the stairs still not completed, since she was too distracted by Gilbert to remember to walk. "Ohhh." She groaned when one of his hands moved between her legs and began to rub her there. She leaned back against him, his other hand cupping her breast through her bra, his mouth still working on her neck and shoulder. She undid the button on her jeans, lowered the zipper and started shoving them down past her hips, he wasted no time getting his hand into her underwear, tracing a finger over the lips, spreading her juices around, before delving between her folds. She moved her hips in time with his fingers as he circled her clit. She latched onto his hand with one of her own, holding him in place as he stroked her closer to climax, her other hand going down to clutch at his thigh.

"Softer." She whispered, and he immediately lessened the pressure but kept up the pace. "Oh my God." She cried out, releasing her hold on him and grabbing on the handrail and the wall to keep from falling over. His arm around her, would have kept her up though, she could feel him, hard and insistent, pressing against her bottom. She pulled his hand away, laughing softly at her own reaction. 

"You've always been good with your hands." She told him, turning her head so she could kiss him.

"Must have been all those piano lessons." He answered, now helping her pull her pants up so that she could finish climbing the stairs. 

They went to his room, he had the larger bed, it didn't take long for her to pull at his shirt, helping it over his head and returning her lips to his, while she ran her hands over his chest and back. "Do you know how hard it was not to do this when I was Teddy?" She asked him, he didn't answer just smiled and shook his head a bit. "Everytime, it was torture. God, no wonder I snapped at the skin to skin contact, look at you." She said taking a step back and drinking him in with her eyes. She went back to exploring his body with her hands and mouth, sinking to her knees in front of him and working at his belt.

"Anne..." He said to her, always a gentleman, he would never expect it, but he was still a man and she knew he would want it.

"You did say mouths." She reminded him as she freed his cock, moving her hand slowly up and down the shaft, looking up at him as he looked down at her. His eyes were so dark, she'd never seen them like this, aroused, it made her wetter just looking at him. 

His legs felt weak as her hot mouth enveloped him, her hand moving in time with her mouth. He dropped his chin and watched her, her glorious hair, brushing against his legs as she moved. Whenever she lifted her eyes to look up at him and their eyes locked, he felt a tightening in his lower belly. She was beautiful, smart, loving, carefree and she was hot as fuck. Her lips and tongue were working like magic and he would come soon, embarrassingly soon. "Anne." He said softly, then groaning when she looked up at him again, his dick still in her mouth. "I'm going to...soon" He wanted to warn her. Her eyes got wide and she lifted her mouth from him but kept working his cock with her hand.

"I don't...uh I haven't." She said to him and he understood.

"It's fine. Honestly whatever you want to do is amazing." He hoped she understood that. 

"Okay...just warn me again." She said before she lowered her mouth back onto his dick. He let his hand drift to her hair, stroking it softly as she brought him dangerously close.

"Now." He groaned, replacing her hand with his own and jerking himself for the last few strokes, cumming all over his hand and her chest.

"Fuck..." He gasped as he dropped onto the bed behind him. She wore a smug grin as she got to her feet and went to the bathroom and came back with a washcloth for him to clean himself up, she was wiping her own chest with a different one. 

When they finished cleaning themselves, the got undressed and for the first time, laid totally naked in a bed together, his head on her chest, her arms around him. 

"Now this is what I call skin to skin contact." He said to her before they both drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> humpenscrump - a crude musical instrument, like a hurdy-gurdy. Source Encyclo.co.uk


	16. Chapter Sixteen/Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of our story is here, with a bit more smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After taking off the month of December, I have finished this one. I have combined the ending with the Epilogue. 
> 
> Thanks again to all the comments, kudos and readers. I've got something stirring around in my brain and I hope that I can start it this week.

Her arm was under her body, it had long fallen asleep, past the dull tingles stage and was deep into the stabbing jolts that felt like you were being electrocuted, but she didn't roll over or change positions. She stayed where she was, head on Gilbert's chest, arm across his middle, he was holding her with his left arm and his right was alternating between gently scratching her scalp and given that scalp a massage. Anne discovered that the pleasure of his fingers in her hair and on her head were well worth the torture her arm was enduring, so she wasn't going to move. 

She hadn't had the most amazing sleep in her life, she was in a strange bed and even though she had lain and cuddled with him before, she had never been naked in bed next to him, had had been hyper aware of her unusual situation, waking up often, and taking several moments to recall just whose hand that was on her breast. 

When she did recall she would smile and snuggle deeper into him, allow herself a happy flashback to their hands and mouths on each other and would then let sleep reclaim her once more. She was wide awake now, and there was no sleepy pull to drag her back to dreamland. 

Gilbert's fingers were in her hair and when she opened her eyes she could see that under the blanket, he was definitely awake. She slid the arm around his stomach, down to palm the bulge in the blanket, eliciting a soft groan from him and gentle thrust up into her hand. "You're awake?" He asked her.

"Yes. Good morning." She said easing back a little to look at him, still keeping her hand moving over his dick.

"Morning." He kissed her briefly, studying her face as he pulled back. "You're okay? We're okay?" He asked her.

"I and we are definitely okay." She assured him.

"You're sure?"

"For sucks sake Gilbert, my hand is literally on your cock, if that isn't sending you the message that we are okay...I don't know what will. Do I have to mount you to prove it?" She laughed. He raised an eyebrow and grinned salaciously at her, as though he was thinking about her mounting him, then he rolled them so she was haphazardly on top of him, the blanket bunched between them, blocking any enjoyment the position might allow.

"That's a great idea." He told her. 

"Oh really?" She asked, taking the time to move the blankets out of the way, and then changing her legs so that she was straddling him, slightly raised so they had no actual contact other than the soft inner skin of her thighs, touching the outside of his hips, and his hands on her knees. 

"Really." He answered, tracing little circles on her knees with his thumbs, his eyes wandering down to her breasts, the nipples hardening under his gaze. He was wearing a playful grin, just a hint of his dimples peeking out, she leaned over, resting on her hands on either side of his head, making sure to keep their contact to a minimum, wanting to build up the anticipation. Her nipples just brushed against his chest, sending a jolt straight to her clitoris, she felt his fingers tighten around her knees, but he made no move to explore her yet, signalling he was willing to give up control to her.

She kissed him softly, knowing if she went too deep she would lose her own control and she wanted to savour him for a bit first. She trailed kisses along his jaw, feeling it tighten under her mouth, to his ear where she nipped at his lobe, causing him to shiver under her, turning his head to give her better access. He really seemed to like it when she ghosted a kiss over his ear and her breath would softly caress his skin, moaning each time she did it. He also moaned when she kissed his neck and collarbones, the noises he made no attempt to smother or hide had her inner thighs already coated, still she went slowly, driving herself crazy as she elicited another groan of pleasure from him.

She was kissing his chest when he shifted just a little, but it was enough for the tip of his cock to make contact with her core, tearing a gasp from both of them, she dropped herself a bit so the contact happened again. "Anne..." He groaned, it was the same way he had said her name when she was Teddy and they were in a similar position. This time there were no secrets between them, instead of stopping she repeated the movement, letting the head of his dick slide slowly up and down her sex. "Anne...this is going to be over any second now." He admitted, a red blush staining his cheeks.

"Condoms?" She asked and he pointed at the drawer in the table next to the bed, she opened it and stared at six boxes of various brands and textures.

"Wow...I don't know what to say." She commented at the sheer number of condoms.

"I just wanted to be sure there were options." He told her, his fingers moving on her knees again. She picked up a box and opened it, pulling a sleeve of condoms out and separating one from the rest. She opened it and shifted back a bit, so she could put the condom on him, then she repositioned herself, letting him nudge at her opening, before she slowly sank onto him, holding still while she adjusted to his cock. Then she began to ride him, hands braced on his chest for leverage, his hands finally left her knees, running up her thighs to grab her ass and holding on there, helping her to find a rhythm they both moaned at. Her thighs were burning and she knew she'd be stiff the next day but she kept going, he began to rub at her clit, his hand between their bodies, but the angle wasn't good so she took his hand and put it on her breast and snaked her own hand between them and found just a few circles around her nub was all she needed, she came, collapsing onto his chest, her hand still rubbing herself. He took that moment to roll her over and settle between her thighs and then slid back inside of her, the new angle making her back arch. 

He didn't last long, he hadn't had sex in a long time, he'd been sexually frustrated by her for years, and lately they had been kissing, and that frustration had been building, she seemed to enjoy it and though he was a little worried that it was too quick, she was smiling beside him and was rubbing the arm that was across her chest. Her mind wasn't blown, that was clear but he vowed to himself to learn her body and everything she liked and he would blow her mind every single time from that moment on, wanting to see her a trembling mess, her body shuddering through orgasm, his name falling from her lips. He felt his dick already stirring back to life. He kissed her and then went to the washroom to throw the condom away and then went back to the bed, where she was still laying, staring up at the ceiling with a dreamy smile on her face.

He crawled between her still open legs, kissing her ankle, shin, knees, her thighs, putting one leg over his shoulder, and kissing the skin on the back of her thigh, nipping and sucking at the skin there, her moans telling him she liked it. When he used his hands to spread her opened and dip his tongue in for a taste, she bucked against him and buried her fingers in his hair, a long "Yes" coming out as a sigh. He took a deep breath and pressed forward, determined to fully satisfy her this time.

Epilogue

"It's going to be weird." Gilbert said.

"It's not going to be weird." Anne insisted. 

"Anne, we're talking about Charlie...it's going to be weird."

"He has come a long way. I am proud of him, and you should be more supportive." She admonished him.

"You're right. I do wish him every success...I just can't help but imagine how awkward it's going to be."

"Why do you think it's going to be awkward?" She asked looking away from the road to glance at him.

"I guess I'm just basing it on my years of actually knowing Charlie." He chuckled, she was driving them to Charlie's grand opening.

"All of us have changed a lot since then. Even you Gilbert." She reminded him, subconsciously dropping her left hand from the steering wheel and rubbing her stomach. The sun caught the sparkle of the ring on her finger, as she caressed the bump that was their child. Their daughter was due in seventeen days, the nursery was ready, the car seat already installed in the backseat of the car, sometimes Gilbert actually thought he was dreaming. He would wake up, fourteen years old, in his old room back in Avonlea, still madly in love with Anne Shirley Cuthbert. Cuthbert-Blythe he reminded himself with a grin. Nearly two years married and it still seemed surreal, after years of wanting her, being afraid to lose her, she was his and he was hers.

She was rambling on about the last minute things she had helped Charlie with the day before. "And Moody came, he brought Finn with him. You can not believe how big he is getting." Moody and Ruby's five month old son was the delight of their friend group, he had Moody's large brown eyes and Ruby's smile. Finn was always happy and cheerful, Gilbert hoped their little girl would be as easy a baby as Finn was. Anne took this moment to yell out the car window.

"Hey Asshole, we drive on the right side here." She shouted at a car with Ontario plates. Yeah his daughter was going to probably be a handful like her mother.

Anne lucked out finding a parking spot not too far from their destination and together they walked to Charlie's new business. It was a storefront in a trendy area with boutiques, hair salons and hipster coffee chops. Charlie's business was between a grooming shop for men with beards, and a shop that sold hand made soap. They opened the door and were greeted by soft music, and an ornamental water fountain that had some fresh flowers floating in it.

"Welcome to Tranquillity." A woman behind the desk said with a kind smile. "How may I help you today?"

"They are here for me Nadine!" Charlie cried from the back motioning for them to join him. "You came!"

"Of course we did. Anne has been helping you with this for months." Gilbert answered, allowing Charlie to guide them deeper into the building. He began showing them the rooms, Anne had helped with the design and set up so she wasn't surprised, but Gilbert was.

There was a room set up like a comfortable living room, even a gas fireplace to add to the ambience, a couple of bedrooms, one room was filled with a living garden, kept alive by the sun coming in through the skylights in the ceiling, and another that had large beanbag chairs on the floor, and had a night sky projected on the dark ceiling, soft night sounds playing from a speaker somewhere in the room.

"This is incredible Charlie." Gilbert said, at the end of the tour. "You have made something really beautiful here."

"It was Anne's idea." Charlie ducked his head.

"I never envisioned this." Anne shook her head.

"Maybe not, but you did come up with some of what is here. And you graciously referred all your old clients to me, many who have booked already." Charlie said, just before he was called away to meet some potential clients, who were in for the grand tour.

"He also has three other people working for him. Josie calls him the Hug Pimp of Charlottetown." Anne said with a laugh. 

"She's just jealous she didn't think of it first." Gilbert said.

"You know, Diana is thinking about opening one up in Halifax." Anne told him, Diana had moved to Nova Scotia the year before, to be closer to her fiance Fred.

"She would be a natural at it, she has a very soothing presence." 

"I think Jane is going to cross promote with Charlie. Each of them is going to offer 10% off for their respective clients." 

"Jane doesn't need the business, so she is doing Charlie a real solid." Gilbert noted, Jane had opened a tea shop that exclusively sold marijuana infused edibles and teas. It was always busy there.

"It's because she is in love with me." Charlie said as he came up behind them. "What?" At their shared look. "She is! I can tell."

"Charlie, if she does, than you need to sus her out. Ask her on a date or flirt with her." Anne told him.

"No way, I am not taking advice from you two. I have seen how bad you guys were at actually getting together. The Pauls are helping me." Gilbert couldn't argue with Charlie about that, Tillie had finally ended things with them, although they all stayed friendly and socialised still, Tillie was currently dating two different men and couldn't decide between them either. The Pauls had each managed to find girlfriends of their own and were very happy. They were probably better at giving advice than he was. 

"Well, well, well, you've done a good job here, Slenderman." Josie cackled at the nickname she called Charlie, as she joined them.

"Thanks Josie. You going to sign up for a session?" He asked holding his arms open wide as an invitation to get a hug from him.

"Is the girl at the desk one of your Hug Hookers?"

"She is a professional cuddler." Charlie corrected.

"Sign me up then." Josie winked. Anne and Gilbert talked for a few more minutes with them and then left, leaving Charlie to take Josie on a tour of the business. They walked out to their car, deciding on where to eat for lunch before heading home. 

"Do you miss it?" He asked her.

"Professional cuddling?" She asked, he nodded. "I miss the money, but I never did it for myself. The only time I ever got comfort from it was with you, and I get to do that all the time now."

"So I should start charging you?"

"Now who is the Hug Hooker?" She teased, and he kissed her.


End file.
